Breadcrumbs for the Soul
by daybeforetomorrow
Summary: There's no place like home, but where is home exactly? DGCain, AzAmbrose and lots of family bonding. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Breadcrumbs for the Soul _

_Summary:_ There's no place like home, but where is home exactly?

This story deals with the transition the OZ goes through, the problems it creates for our heroes, and will deal with quite a lot of the plot bunnies they left mucking around. Some, including one large plot turn towards the end, I take no credit for. Noble Mira, my beta put me up to it.

_Rating:_ T to be safe. There's a kiss and some hard topics.

_Characters:_ Jeb, DG, and Cain, but honestly the whole cast is along for the ride.

_Pairings:_ DG/Cain. Az/Ambrose. Character drama-angst, lots of Jeb/Cain bonding until we near the end, then somehow the romance took over.

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own them. I take no responsibility for the non-ending of the series. Oh and occasional Star Wars and Disney references. Included because I think they are funny, but I don't own them either.

_Thanks:_ To my beta Noble Mira and Matt for reading this before it was beta-ed for content.

_Warning:_ This will be long.

* * *

Jeb sat back with his men, crouched on a protected side of the lookout, watching the beam lighting up in the sky. It made its way from the tallest peak of the tower towards the eclipse. He wiped a hand across his eyes, trying to keep awake and unaware the hand was no more clean than his face had been. His part of the battle had been won. The men still on the ground with a pulse were his own. His father hadn't asked for the area to be cleared, but Jeb wasn't willing to risk just a distraction, not when so much was on the line. He wasn't willing to risk men running up and killing his father. He'd explain the bloodshed later. He'd take a bath later. 

The beam flickered for an instance, setting his heart beating erratically, more so than it had ever in combat. Someone handed him a pair of field glasses, he held the glasses up to his eyes, trying to get any sign of how the battle was going. Someone was over the ledge, he prayed to the stars it wasn't one of their own. The device started up again, beam at full power, groans and sighs circulating around his small camp. Jeb raised a hand to hush them, still peering at the figure making its way back up onto the balcony.

Then more waiting, he dropped the glasses and took a glance back at his men. Muddied, bloody and tired lot that they were. More had been lost than he had remembered. Jeb closed his eyes, counting and adding to the loss, hoping it would be the last time. He opened his eyes and looked back at the tower, knowing they would have no chance trying a full offensive against the Sorceress' stronghold. His father was in there. Jeb bit back the fear, not allowing any of it to reach his face.

Without warning, the beam vanished. He shot to his feet before he even had a chance to think of the implications. Was it over? Perfect silence came over the camp. A door from the base of the tower creaked open, a lone figure emerging. Jeb peered through the glasses, a smile breaking across his face as he recognized his inside man.

"The Sorceress is defeated! Long live Queen Lurline restored to her rightful throne! May she forever rule!"

The man's giddy voice broke through just as the eclipse ended. Sunlight bathed over the once darkened kingdom. It was over. Jeb stood still as his men cheered and hollered, not able to move or think. It was over.

* * *

Cain wove in and out of the group of men, trying not to push and shove them away, but knowing he was. Where was his son? Finally common sense dawned and Cain turned to the man his arm had almost pushed away. 

"Jeb Cain? Have you seen him?"

The man nodded, pointing towards the back of the crowd of revelers. It made sense, once Cain's mind took a rest to think, that his son would let his men go first to see the Queen. Raw had been right. Finally, at the end of the crowed hall he caught sight of him. Time slowed as he grabbed his son into a tight embrace. Hugging after battle, he comforted himself, was an entirely different thing.

The two stood side by side in line, moving slowly back up to the dais where the Queen was greeting and thanking the resistance soldiers. He couldn't think of what to say after so many years, with no battle to rush off to they could catch up on all the lost years. Later, he supposed, knowing that there'd be pain in the exchange and now was a time for celebration. Still, he kept an arm around Jeb, wanting to make sure he wouldn't disappear.

After what seemed like another age, the royal family came into view. Ahamo, the Queen's consort stood with both his hands firmly on his eldest's shoulders. DG standing protectively in front of her. The Queen to the right with Glitch and Raw looking on.

"We are very grateful for you service and sacrifice, Martin."

"It was nothing your majesty." The bowed man trembled slightly as he spoke, casting a sideways view at Azkadellia. The Queen followed his eye line, smiling graciously as Azkadellia.

"My two daughters also owe you their thanks. You have helped free my eldest from the wicked witch of the west and helped re-grant my youngest's right to the throne."

DG's face contorted in confusion. "My right to the…" Her mother waved a slight hand in her direction. DG nearly took a step toward her mother, but Az reached out and took DG's hand. The two girls looked at each other in slight confusion, before Az offered DG what Cain could only describe as a genuine smile. Poor Martin, whomever he was, overcome with the discomfort of the moment took this as his opportunity to offer a quick bow and leave.

"Mr. Cain. Jeb." DG motioned to them with her free hand, before turning to look at her mother. "Jeb was the resistance leader of the north. He's also Mr. Cain's son." The Queen's face lit up at her words.

"We owe you both a debt of gratitude."

Jeb smiled awkwardly at the Queen, forcing a quick stiff bow before looking back at his father. Cain, having been to court more times than he could count, took his hat off and offered the Queen a more formal bow. Being on the Mystic Man's security force for all those years was finally coming in handy. The Queen smiled and clasped her hands together, his bow seeming to have reminded her of something.

"This is an informal expression of our gratitude of course. We will have a formal ceremony to honour you and all your men as soon as can be arranged."

Great. Pomp and circumstance. Cain forced a smile, while Jeb did nothing to contain his confusion at her words. The poor boy had most of his childhood through war; Cain thought with a sigh, it would take a lot of getting used to for him and his men. The old ways were different. The old O.Z. had been different. He could tell the Queen had every intention of returning it to the way it had been. The group stood around awkwardly, even the incandescent Queen not sure what say. DG was the first to break the silence.

"What you said earlier, about the rightful ruling thing?"

DG's eyes darted to look at Cain. She was perplexed by the whole thing, he could tell. He had expected it. The kid he'd been guarding and guiding would be Queen and probably soon. He smiled back reassuringly at her, placing his hat back on his head and adjusting the brim. She'd do a fine job. He was sure.

"Later, dearest. Now we have other things to attend to. Ambrose must be restored to his full self. We have people in the tower to free. Your darling sister to care for and a kingdom to restore." The Queen placed a gentle hand on DG's cheek. "But I promise we will discuss this all. Just not yet."

* * *

"But it's not fair!" 

DG's arms flung around dramatically as she spoke, before plopping on a couch opposite the one her parents, her real parents, were sitting so picture perfectly on. Her mother looked at her father mournfully for a moment, before returned her gaze to their clutched hands. Her father turned to respond to her.

"Your sister needs time to recover. Popular opinion is against her, thanks to the witch. She can't possibly rule."

DG's hands flew up in the air. "Who said she'd be ruling alone?"

Both of their faces flew up to look over at Glitch, now a restored and pain in the proper neck Ambrose, who was standing in a nearby corner. DG's eyebrows lowered as she strained to see what they were looking at. She looked back over at them confused as Ambrose continued to shake his head apologetically.

"Umm… I think we're having two different conversations here." DG paused to gather her thoughts. "Look, there was this prophecy right? About the emerald." She gestured vaguely as her parents looked on. "Az held the emerald, not me. According to that shouldn't she be Queen?"

They both nodded reluctantly, still with clasped hands. DG watched as they had some sort of silent conversation, hoping that her parents were not in fact mind readers. The past two weeks were odd enough without having to worry about having her mind invaded as well.

"DG" Her mother finally spoke. "I am too weak to rule. All the power I once had was used to bring you back to life. I am sorry." Her head dipped slightly as she spoke, giving the impression that she was delicate enough to be blown away with the slightest breeze.

"You were with her at the time of the eclipse. Together you two held the emerald." Ambrose came out of the shadows as he spoke, a brilliant idea forming in his now completed mind. His tone softened to the Glitch she knew as he walked over to her. "DG, your highness, your people will need your leadership as well. Just as you brought your sister back from the darkness, so must your kingdom be brought back."

DG's blue eyes went wide at the thought. Her kingdom. She stared at him and then looked back at her now hopeful parents. "You think it would help Az?" Ambrose nodded, a smile forming on his face. She thought about it for a moment before nodding herself. She looked down at the armrest, before raising her head to look back up at her parents. "I do want this all to be set right. I have so much to make up for."

Her mother's voice quickly cut her off. "Oh my angel. This wasn't your fault."

"No, it was mine." Azkadellia's voice cut into the argument. Her bare feet padding on the marble floor as she entered. DG offered her sister a small smile, gesturing at the open seat next to her. Az sat down next to her, gathering her robe up as she sat. Their voices were different too, DG mused. Az's voice nearly as soft and light as their mother's while the witch's deep tone growled out every syllable. Once settled Az offered her a shy smile back, turning to see Ambrose standing back in his corner.

"You highness, the sun-seeder was my idea. I am responsible for the current situation."

Az winced as she held back tears with a sad smile. "And the deaths, Ambrose? Those I tortured? You were among them. How can… how can anyone here forgive me?" Az paused trying to calm herself from near hysterics, fidgeting with the ends of her robe. "I can't even forgive myself yet."

Without warning, the Queen's frail appearance vanished and she strode over to kneel beside Az. Clasping Az's hand firmly in her own, she looked up at her eldest daughter, fiery purple eyes locking steadfast onto deep brown.

"Azkadellia you are my daughter. It was my duty to protect you." The Queen looked over at DG, extending her free hand and clasping DGs as well. "It was my job to protect both of my children." The Queen closed her eyes firmly, taking in a deep breath before continuing, "At that I failed. I and I alone shall bear the responsibility for what has transpired. There is to be no further discussion of blame for what innocent children should or should not have done." The Queen turned to look at Ambrose. "No further discussion of what secrets were revealed during torture." Her gaze turned back down to the pair of clasped hands. "We are family. I hope that we all can come together again in spite of my mistake."

"Mother" The name sounded odd coming off DG's tongue. She winced slightly, before continuing, "You can't possibly blame yourself for all of this."

"I can and I do. The witch and I had met in my lifetime and I had vanquished her." She paused pursing her lip slightly, before continuing on deliberately. "I knew what darkness was there and I did not think to warn you both, to keep you near enough."

DG blinked at the revelation, her eyes flitting vaguely across the room as it sunk in. Her father looked extremely pained, Ambrose had shut his eyes at the news, Az's face was stuck in shock.

"You knew?" DG's voice warbled not sure if it was accusatory or sympathetic, looking to her mother for an answer. Her mother nodded soberly, her eyes still gazing downward. Silence fell over the room for what seemed like an age. DG let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and sunk down to embrace her mother. Az followed suit as their father made his way over to complete the embrace. They were family and they'd find a way to come out of this mess together. Tears were finally shed as they clung to each other. Each smiled and laughed at bit, as their heads rose one by one.

"So you will rule together then?" Their mother spoke, her hands softly griping their shoulders as she slowly retreated back into her fragile state. Az tentatively looked over at DG before the two let out a nervous giggle as they clasped hands. "Good. May you both be wiser than I was." Their mother rose slowly to plant a kiss on both of their foreheads, before turning to be steadied by her husband. Ambrose offered her an approving nod as she was helped back to the opposing couch. They better not be mind readers, DG mused, cause if they were they would know just how terrified she was.

* * *

Jeb stood wide-eyed at the Captain. Rules. He couldn't believe it. If they had used these "rules" back when he was leading the north resistance nothing would have gotten done. 

"This citizen says you," the Captain looked down at his written report, "threatened him with torture if he didn't reveal the location of the longcoats' hide-out."

Jeb nodded in agreement, yes he had threatened. No actual torture being done, he wasn't sure what the Captain's point was. The Captain dropped the report and sighed. "Officer Cain. This is not how we run things in Central City. We are officers and agents of the Queen's good will."

Jeb ran a hand nervously across his face, unsure how to respond to the Captain. "But I got the location." The job was done. The longcoats were found, most apprehended. If one of his men had accomplished this deed he would have…

"But at what cost. We are not agents of fear." The old man's tone broke in anger, before closing his eyes and calming himself. A wind made its way through the old station, rippling through old still dust covered documents, half uncovered machines and musty desks. Taking in the smell and sight of the place Jeb realized he wouldn't fit in with the new ways. He days were done and he would have to make himself a new way in a new world.

"I won't report this to the Queen. I know what you've been through kid. My own son grew up in this mess, no idea of order. I don't want to ruin your big ceremony." Jeb nodded slowly in thanks, offering a silent apology and will to never again break the Captain's trust. "Go see you father, kid. It's about that time." The Captain turned back to look at the relic of a station, wondering if he could restore all that had been lost.

Jeb took a step out of the station, straightening his collar and adjusting his new badge. It was about that time. The suns hanging high in the sky, nearly forming one. Although his father was stuck at the Queen's "request" guarding the younger princess, they still saw much of each other. The Ice palace only about an hour's ride to the south-west, and the younger princess apparently not minding him leaving for a three hour mid-meal.

There in the heart of Central City he awaited the arrival of his father. It was in quiet moments like this that Jeb wished for the release of ink and paper. So many things he wanted to say and explain, but his mind wouldn't allow. And questions, the endless questions of where his father had been. What would happen to them now. What of the longcoats who would stand trial, one in particular. One that should have died, had he not been weak enough to be talked out of it. One that would only cause more pain. He kicked the loose gravel with the toe of his boot as he pondered, knowing all his courage would be eaten up as soon as his father appeared.

"Jeb." His father dismounted the horse and tied it to the post, before joining his son. The two silently ended the old bar, sitting in a table in the far corner, one they had practically claimed as their own for the past week. His father set his hat down on the windowsill; his eyes fixed on the tin badge pinned on his coat. "So, how goes it?"

"Good." Jeb grunted somewhat as the barkeep placed two mugs down on the table. Only his father's containing anything that would drown away the sorrows. Before all this law and order you could be served at eighteen annuals. "We've secured the longcoat's main hideout. Taken them into custody." Jeb took a sip of whatever it was and grimaced. Terrible, terrible stuff that it was. Good thing the food here made up for it. Jeb took a look around the old place once more. It had been his father's favourite place to hang out, so he had been told, when the Mystic Man was in town.

"Great. That's good news." Cain squirmed in his seat as he spoke, seeming to wish to dive right out into the action as he spoke. He too took a sip, but his drink didn't require a grimace. "How's the cleanup work here going?"

"Very well. The Captain has it all underhand." Cain nodded, the answer seeming satisfactory. "He's a good man. Tells stories about you sometimes."

Jeb's tone had taken a mischievous turn; Cain sank back in his seat. "Well don't believe everything he tells you."

"Oh, I don't." Jeb chucked slightly, his eyes turning to follow the food as it was placed on the table. It smelled like his mother's old cooking. The two quickly dug in, eating as fast as any man in the midst of a battle. "So," Jeb swallowed and took another bite as he spoke. "How's princess duty?"

Cain sighed, taking in another sip of his drink. "Nothing exciting there, son. Lots of politics." Jeb watched him as he ate, noticing a flickered of some emotion as his father sank back into silence. It didn't sound that bad to Jeb. Sitting around, three square meals, nice place to sleep, hot water, no real rules. Well other than making sure the Princess doesn't get hurt, but he couldn't see that being any real challenge. His father looked bored or whatever he couldn't put his finger on. Jeb finished up his food and his terrible drink wondering what it would be like to live in one place and have only one person to protect. Sounded better than what he was doing, pretending to be a tin man when he was really a retired resistance leader.


	2. Chapter 2

_disclaimer at the beginning.  
__Thanks so much for the reviews _

"I have no idea how this is going to work." DG paced up and down the room as Cain watched her. "I mean I was a waitress. I took orders, I didn't give them." His eyes stayed on her as a made her way back to where he stood. He didn't respond, continuing to keenly watch her as she returned to her pacing. He had plenty of things to say, for instance, how she'd been giving him orders from the moment they met, but it wasn't the time to start a fight. A fight could mean staying here longer; a fight could mean seeing her cry. He wasn't prepared for either of those options, so for now he'd do what he did best. Stand and watch.

"And now there's this awards ceremony I'm supposed to be hosting alone, because of course Ambrose and my parents say Az can't. It's like my life is Star Wars." She paused at that, crossing her arms over her chest, deep in her own thoughts. Cain shifted from foot to foot, not sure if he should interrupt her tirade to question what she was talking about. Mid thought, she turned and mumbled. "I bet Princess Leia never had to put up with this crap."

"You don't really think I know what you're talking about." Cain shot a pointed look at her. "Do you?"

"Hmm?" DG looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You think I can just princess up? Just like that? I mean we haven't known each other that long, but I would think in this short time period that you being an intelligent man would have..."

He waved his hand at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Princess Leia is from the I.Z.?"

DG laughed at that, before realizing he was serious. I.Z. "Oh, that must be what you call… mmhh. No, she's from a movie." He blinked at her. "Um, a story." He nodded. "Star Wars. Han, Luke, and Chewie go to rescue Princess Leia and at the end there's this big awards cermi… I don't even know why I am telling you this." She sank down into the chaise at the end of her bed. If she was staying here she would have to get new material. The blank looks were getting old fast.

"Ok. So they had an awards ceremony." Cain nodded to the side, trying to think up some way of calming her down. "So can't you use that as a reference?"

"Star Wars." DG comment dryly. It took a moment, but then her whole face lit up at the idea. Great her penchant for being a total geek was coming to her rescue in the oddest way ever. Why hadn't this worked in high school?

"Sure."

"What would Princess Leia do?" He half nodded half shrugged as she held back giggles. Raw and Ambrose entered as she finally gave away to laughter. Both arriving men lit up at the sight of her laughing. Cain still stood by confused.

"Raw! Ambrose!" She shrieked as she rose to hug them both. Ambrose could barely contain his excitement at her mood. The whole castle had been in a near state of mourning since the family had been reunited. Mourning for lost time and dread for the time to come. It had been a while since any had heard sincere laughter.

"Well, your highness seems in a very good mood today." Ambrose stood, his hands clasped together, ready to burst any moment into applause. Glitch's enthusiasm springing to the forefront of his rejoined mind.

She smiled back at him. "I am. Thank you!"

"So what's the cause of this sudden change of mood." Ambrose and Raw looked from Cain to DG to Cain again, both assuming him to be the cause and attempting to express their thanks for his presence. DG stood there watching them look back and forth, until Cain shook his head.

"Don't look at me. When I came in it was all ranting until she started talking about some story called Star Wars."

"It's about a princess who is saved by her heroic group of friends, like how you all helped save me." DG nodded to herself, wondering if George Lucas might sue her for her life's story or for rephrasing it in such a way. Raw and Ambrose smiled, wanting her to continue on. Her eyebrows knit for a while before she said "Well I suppose that makes Raw Chewie, Ambrose you can be Luke since you are just now discovering your powers and Mr. Cain can be Han."

"Whatever you say Princess." Cain replied dryly.

"Err…" Her face contorted, her brain catching up to what her mouth had just said, for a split second wondering from his reply if he got the reference. "Or not. Maybe we aren't much like it." She forced a nervous smile, grateful for once for the silence. Spinning on a dime, she turned to look at Cain. "So how is Jeb? I heard I will be presenting him with many medals as well." Or just one, she silently corrected herself.

It was Cain's turn to smile. "He's doing well. There's lots of work to be done." The smile stayed stuck on his face, but it faded to one of regret. DG watched as he turned to look out the window at Central City. He wanted to be out in all the action as well, but was instead stuck here until a suitable bodyguard would be found for her. Babysitting. DG forced a smile and nodded, she too was ever aware of the work that was to come. Who knew how much longer she'd be able to sit with these three. She would be surprised if she saw anyone but Ambrose after the ceremony. The four sat still in the huddle, Ambrose let out a sigh at the return of gloom. Raw's eyes darted back and forth from person to person, but he didn't need to be a seer to tell what was on everyone's minds. Change.

* * *

"You want to leave?" Jeb nodded at the Captain. The other officers looking up from their work from time to time, trying to see what the two were talking about. The soundly shut door not helping with their eavesdropping. "I... I don't. Listen kid, it will take some time to get used to, but I'm sure you'll be a good tin man."

"Maybe, maybe not." Jeb sank back in the old wooden chair, before leaning forward. In the past week, he'd broken about half the written laws a tin man was supposed to keep. He couldn't help but wonder if his father's name was the only reason the Captain wanted to keep him. "This is my dad's job. He's always loved this. I need to find somewhere else I can..."

"Threaten to torture people?" The Captain arched an eyebrow at him. "There's no place in the O.Z. that's going to fly anymore." Jeb laughed, despite the seriousness of the older man's tone. The Captain fingered Jeb's badge, still sitting on the desk where he had placed it. "Ok, ok. We'll miss you around here though."

"Oh not for long, Captain. I'm sure my old man can't wait to get back into his old job." Jeb stood up, shaking his hand in sincere thanks. "I do appreciate all the training and everything you have done for me here. You have my deepest respect for the job you do."

The Captain stood to meet his handshake. "So what do you plan on doing now?" Jeb shrugged, his head tilting to the side slightly. "Well, no matter what you plan on doing kid. You best get in your formies for the ceremony."

Jeb shifted a little, the word sounding familiar, but the meaning wasn't coming to him. Something his mother had said she liked, long ago. "My what?" Captain chuckled in a way he knew he was in for a world of pain.

"Your formies kid. You're going to the palace. You best be dressed the part."

* * *

"This is ridiculous." The voice came from a pile of tulle and lace curled up by the bed. Arms appeared from the pile, pushing the tulle down and out popped a pair of blue eyes. "I look ridiculous." 

The Queen looked down on her youngest daughter's appearance. DG slowly rose, the tulle and lace retreating until a dress of crimson appeared over the numerous petticoats and finally brown ringlets flung back revealing a frustrated face.

"I am not a doll!"

Her mother smiled at her, wondering if her daughter knew how much the wide-eyed pouting was contributing to her doll-like appearance. The Queen stood and glided effortlessly over to DG, soothing out the fabric and her ruffled hair.

"Better a doll than what the witch turned me into." Az stated blankly, her full focus on her own reflection. Clearly black leather and chainmail was not her sister's style. Az stood a picture of elegance in pale emerald. She wore a sophisticated draped gown that was lacking any ruffles or lace. DG clumsily made her way over to where Az stood, nearly tripping over her own train. DG turned to look at her mother.

"Why does Az get to wear that dress while I look like I'm barely old enough to walk?"

The Queen tried to contain her laughter as her youngest daughter continued to pout and prance in the large dress. "Your sister is not attending the awards ceremony in any formal role, DG. The ceremony is your responsibility. You must dress in a way that reflects the royal family."

"And you really think they are going to take me seriously in this get up?" DG turned to look at herself in the mirror. "Mother, I don't take myself seriously in the dress. It's too long. There's a train. I can't walk." More gliding. The Queen sat on the bed, turning to open a box next to her, before turning and handing DG a matching pair of red heels. "Oh great. This just got so much better."

Her mother stood and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You just need to continue to remember who you are." If DG had a nickel for every time people said, "If you'll just remember..." she'd have a fortune. Of course what use was a fortune to a fluffy doll princess? Her mother placed a reassuring hand on Az's arm before gliding out of the room. DG turned to her sister in exasperation.

"They seriously expect me to wear this?"

Az turned to DG, shaken out of her intensely inward gaze. Her look almost apologetic. It was quickly clear that Az had not been listening to what had transpired. DG couldn't help but be sympathetic, she'd had her own battles with her new reflection, but she had no idea what inner demons her elder sister was facing. Az studied her sister's dress and hair, her face become more alarmed by the second.

"Well, this obviously won't do." DG nodded in complete agreement. Finally someone who saw some sense. "The dress isn't bad, but the… umm…" Az pointed at the huge skirt. "Why is it so… wide?" Az's eyes went nearly as wide as the skirt as she spoke. It was true, DG realized twirling a bit, she took up almost half the room. An idea must have come to her, as Az lifted up the crimson layer revealing the innumerable petticoats below. "Oh," Az's voice shifted into a darker tone that reminded DG of when the witch had spoken "those have got to go." The tone was clear. Az had declared war on the petticoats, and DG was definitely on her side for the battle.

The two sat giggling minutes later, a mussed pile of tulle and lace sitting on the bed. DG now liberated from the petticoats thanks to Az's expert skills ripping fabric. Their giggling subsided, still smiling in the glow of the moment. Both locked between a memory of their mischievous childhood friendship and the new bond of sisterhood that was forming. Az stood first, helping DG to her feet. The two walked over to the mirror to examine Az's handiwork. Az beamed at her sister's reflection. Gone was any width to the skirt, no bows or lace were left, all that remained was a fluid column of ruby red. The ringlets had worked themselves out in the resulting laughter, leaving loose waves. DG smiled at her reflection. It wasn't pants, but it would do.

"We can both do this, little sister." Az stated. "We can be ourselves and who we were meant to be." DG clasped her hand, knowing she was trying to convince herself as well. "Do you think they'll hate me?"

DG clasped her sister's hand tighter, looking at Az's reflection. "They hated her. They'll have to get to know you just like we will. It'll be fine." DG gave her a sideways smile, before taking a step towards the door and nearly faceplanting on the floor. She sighed and cursed the inventor of high heels. Last time she'd worn a pair was senior prom, and she wasn't any better walking in them now. "I don't know if I won't break my neck wearing these though."

"Luckily you should be standing in one spot for most of the presentation." Az paused, her lips pursed. "The dancing afterwards might be a problem however."

"Dancing?" DG threw her head back in exasperation. "Will it never end?"

* * *

Jeb stood stiffly in the confining uniform. Formies, he had quickly learned from the other officers, was a form the torture the royal family liked to bestow on the underlings when they did well. The whole station had come together, reading from a dusty book to give him an once-over on palace etiquette. In truth, he didn't remember half of it. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to remember it when all he could think about was his newly acquired limited range of movement. Surrounding him on every side were other officers, soldiers and dignitaries. The ceremony had yet to start and they were all waiting in their uncomfortable and hardly patient state. 

"Officer Cain."

He turned to see his father making his way through the crowd, followed by two familiar figures. The two shook hands, Jeb offering a nod to both the seer and the Queen's advisor. With the addition of one resistance leader to the south, the small group of four was to be the most decorated by the crowned princess. Jeb's fingers twitched as they stood, unable to have a real conversation in the midst of the crowd chatter.

"You nervous?" His father asked over the noise. Jeb nodded quickly, fingers still twitching. The jacket cuffs were so solid he was sure they'd reinforce any connection his fist would make. He looked over at his father, his old man looking like he was made to wear such a horrible ensemble, the seer who wore a fine jacket that looked more comfortable than his own and the advisor who was obviously enjoying the frippery. Ambrose smiled curtly at Jeb just as the doors to the main hall were opened.

People flooded into the main hall, all arranged by station and order of decoration. Jeb mutely followed his father to the front of the groupings, stopping to stand in front of the raised platform where the throne was placed. Trumpets sounded from seemingly thin air and the doors to the side of the throne parted. The Queen emerged looking, Jeb thought, just as uncomfortable as the rest of them. The Queen's Consort next, on his arm the Princess Azkadellia looking quite unlike how he remembered. Jeb's eyes shot over to his dad, confused at her appearance, but his dad just nodded at him before looking on at the ceremony. Finally, the younger princess emerged. Jeb thought she looked not much older than him, although her dress and figure gave every impression she was fully grown. This was who his father thought watching was boring? He smiled to himself at the thought.

The youngest princess's voice was deep and low as she spoke, her hands prone to make sudden movements. The speech she gave obviously rehearsed and obviously not what she wanted to say. She smiled slightly at the polite applause, which he assumed meant she had finished saying… whatever it was she had said. The leader from the south, Nicholas or Nickels as they called him, took his place next to him.

"Jeb." His father's voice shook him out of his reverie. "Jeb, you're up." He took a rigid step forward, still not sure how they expected him to move, much less dance. Jeb turned, standing just before the steps up to the stage and stopped there. Here, having an excellent view of her feet, he could tell that the hand movements he had noticed earlier were in fact her attempt to balance on whatever instruments of torture they had put on her feet. It made more sense to him now. The royals had to be tortured all the time, so in times of joy they had their subjects join them. It was true what his mother had said, misery really did like company.

"Officer James Cain, leader of the north resistance, in thanks for your many deeds of bravery and in defense of the crown, we do present to you this medal for valour."

She took the medal out of the velvet box and slipped it around his neck. The young princess smiled down at him, offering him an offhanded "Good job." She winced slightly after saying it, but her face quickly returned to the smile she had plastered across her face. He bowed, at least he had remember that little tidbit, before returning to his father's side in the midst of yet more polite applause. His father made his way to the same spot in front of the platform.

"Officer Wyatt Cain, in thanks for your many deeds of bravery and in defense of the crown, we do present to you this medal for valour."

Her voice dipped in and out as she spoke, but she did not waver as she had before, her hands were still at her side, their eyes locked the whole time. She turned, still looking at him out of the corner of her eye before, ever so carefully, placing the medal around his neck. For a second it seemed like they might stand that way for hours until he offered her a wink and the same formal bow. The moment broken, she nodded to herself and her eyes slowly drifted over to the seer. Jeb studied his father as the seer made his way up to see the princess.

"Raw, chieftain of the Quadling tribes, in thanks for your many deeds of bravery and in defense of the crown, we do present to you this medal for bravery."

As the princess placed the medal around his neck, roars of jubilation could be heard from off to the right where Jeb assumed his tribe was located. She giggled at the noise and smiled as Raw pulled her in for a hug. Raw cheered himself and then walked back over to his place. Ambrose, the Queen's advisor, giddily shuffled his way over to the Princess.

"Ambrose Fiyero, most loyal and dear of my mother the Queen's advisors, in thanks for your many deeds of bravery and defense of the crown, we do present to you this medal for sapience."

Ambrose's face melted into a toothy grin at the title of his medal. He tilted his head down so the princess could slip the medal around his head and offered her the most ridiculous bow Jeb had ever seen in return. Ambrose returned to his place.

"To all our loyal and dear subjects, we thank you for your continued support through our time of distress. My mother her majesty the Queen thanks you, my sister the newly recovered Princess Azkadellia thanks you, and I thank you. Please enjoy yourself at tonight's festivities." The room broke into thunderous applause as she finished, gesturing to the doors leading to the ballroom.


	3. Chapter 3

_disclaimer is still the same.  
Thank you so much for the reviews!  
An extra thanks to my beta, because tispy DG grammar is the devil. I baked you brownies, please forgive me!_

Even the music was starting to sound familiar to DG. The old life and world she had lived in were starting to seem more and more a dream as she slipped into this reality. Couples were waltzing across the ballroom floor, her real and robo-parents included. She smiled at both as they passed by. It was weird, but she had to count her blessings. So far no tripping and no falling, it was a good start for a long night. Of course the wine, or whatever this was, could have been helping her along. Wasn't helping people approach her, but being a princess was going to take some getting used to. DG felt the pull of gravity from a nearby balcony, isolated and alone where she could think, but Az sitting in a corner all alone had to be solved first. An idea popped into her head, she placed her glass back on a tray and made her way over to where Mr. Cain was standing.

DG tapped him gently on the shoulder, knowing she was interrupting what was obviously a very interesting discussion with his son and the south's resistance leader. "Yes, your highness." She rolled her eyes slightly as his address, choosing maturely to rub the formalities right in his face.

"Do you dance, officer?"

Cain froze momentarily. "Yes, your highness I can dance."

"Great." DG turned to look at the other two men. "Can I borrow him for a bit?" Both nodded, although she realized it was probably just because it was royalty. DG took his hand and drug him off to the side.

"I didn't know you liked to dance, princess."

"Really, can you please stop calling me that?" The look on his face clearly said no. "I don't like to dance." DG bit her lip, still clinging to his hand. She looked down at their interlaced hands, aware of how uncomfortable she was making him. "But my sister does." She looked up at him, hoping he would see just how much this would mean to her and hoping that would be enough to have him grant her request. He shifted a bit, looking over in Az's direction. "Please, Wyatt." She gently let go of his hand as he slowly nodded and made his way over to Az. DG watched as Cain bowed and a much happier looking Az joined him on the dance floor. Victorious, DG started to head over to the balcony, grabbing another glass of unknown cocktail on the way.

"Princess." Her nose scrunched up at the sound; still she turned to greet the owner of the greeting. She must have turned too fast, the dizziness of the room and people overtaking her for a split second before she steadied herself. Her feet hurt, so badly. Out in the isolation of that wayward balcony she could have rested.

"Jeb, is this your first royal… ceremony?" She asked dryly, not sure if this was considered small talk or state the obvious talk. Maybe they were the same thing.

"Yes, it is." Jeb nodded as he spoke, not really sure what he wanted to say or ask. "I'm not really used to the required formalities yet." He gestured to the tailored suit. It was weird to see him and his father in the same clothing at the same event for some reason.

"Well, you wear it well." DG ended with a flourish, doing this royal thing was getting easier as the night went on. Although she was very glad she was not alone in the uncomfortable clothing department. Her eyes wandered over to where Cain was now, back to talking to the resistance leader while a giggling Az was doing some slightly hopping dance with Ambrose. She caught his eye for a second, muttering a silent thank you to him. He nodded and continued in his conversation, while she turned her attention back to the young officer in front of her. "How is your post in Central City going?"

Jeb's voice lowered to a near whisper. "I resigned actually." DG's eyes went wide in confusion. "I don't think my place is in Central City or being an officer for that matter."

"Oh," her voice dropped glumly. "Your father will be disappointed, but I'm sure you'll make him proud whatever you do." The song ended, the couples on the floor laughing and bursting into applause. They both turned to look at the scene. "Any idea?" She paused. "On what you want to do?" He shrugged and they both laughed nervously.

Nicholas, the south's resistance leader and Cain walked over to them, Nicholas offering a slight bow. "Princess. Jeb." DG nodded at him, he turned to Jeb explaining their intrusion. "We were discussing the battle at the Guild Fighter Village. I've tried to convince your father, but he still won't believe me." Jeb laughed.

"Nickels, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Those were strange times." DG smiled as Jeb spoke, watching the conversation with no understanding of its content. She had a lot of history to catch up on; right now she was just trying to understand the story of the first Dorothy Gale. Her glass emptied soon enough and she turned to grab another one.

"DG, do you really think…" Her hand stopped as she heard Cain's worried voice breaking through Jeb's explanation. He was right, after all, she had no idea what the mystery drink contained. She turned back to him eyes wide, annoyed that he had chastised her like a child in front of his own and annoyed at herself that she hadn't been more careful.

"No, Mr. Cain. Sometimes apparently I do not." Near to tears for no reason, she awkwardly took off her heels, picked up her train and took off for the balcony hoping her tiara had stayed on despite her brisk pace. Feeling the cool marble and the outside breeze, she wasn't sure this was such a good idea. She'd freeze for sure out here without her mess of tulle and lace to protect her. Not that she exactly cared at this moment. She placed her shoes and arms down on the railing. This was an ice palace after all, she thought to herself, what did she really expect outside to be like. A moment in the cool air and she realized she had run here like a bat out of hell, probably attracting everyone's attention.

Officially, she thought, she had now completely and totally messed up this whole princess thing. DG groaned, her head falling to the railing in frustration, causing her tiara to come flying off her head and bounce on the marble floor. She looked down at it through bits of her dangling hair, thankfully it was intact.

"You might need this you know." DG's eyes squinted closed, forehead guarded by a fringe of bangs still connected with the railing, hair hiding her mortified face. He hadn't come after… oh great he had. She opened her eyes again, no longer seeing the tiara on the marble floor and two feet in its place. DG didn't move, willing him to be a figment of her frozen imagination. Puffs of white smoke were now coming out with each breath. "Common, princess. It's freezing out here." He wasn't going away. She sighed, raising her head and turning to face him. From his reaction, she must have looked very, very cold. Concern etched his face as he took a step towards her. He reached for a jacket he didn't have to give her. Cain sighed, realizing his current apparel wouldn't help her. He gingerly placed the tiara back on her head, his face nearing hers. His hand moving from her hair to gently rest on her cheek, a half smile on his face. "You just have to make my job as hard as possible, don't you?"

DG gulped, blinking as she processed his question. His job. Right. Her bodyguard. She nodded and took a step to the side, away from the nearness of him. Putting her shoes on more clumsily than she had taken them off, she steeled herself for going back in. Hoping she wasn't too blue, hoping she hadn't made too much of a scene, hoping she didn't look like she felt.

* * *

"I'm not sure it's a good idea Jeb."

His father paced back and forth as he spoke, a habit Jeb didn't remember him having. Personally, he didn't see what the big deal was. It made perfect sense. His dad wanted his former job as a tin man and the Queen herself had offered Jeb the job after the ceremony. "Why?" Jeb scoffed at his father's glare. He hadn't minded the pageantry, and she seemed just as against it as he was. Maybe she just needed a friend, someone who didn't see her as a princess. He could use a fresh perspective himself. "Just because you didn't enjoy it doesn't mean I won't."

"I won't even dignify that with a response." Jeb winced at his father's biting tone, causing him to rephrase. "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the job, at times. I am saying that she is a handful." Poor kid had no idea what he was going to be getting himself into. She had a way of being so demanding, always doing things her way and making you go along until it was too late and you were in some new and totally avoidable kind of trouble. What if there was someone to help along the way. Could Jeb talk her out of it? Remind her of her station? Cain paused. His own questions coming back to haunt him. Had he ever talked her out of it? Cain grimaced at the realization, he certainly had followed her every step without altering it.

"And you think I can't handle her?" Jeb's eyebrows rose as he spoke. So, she'd made a little scene. Jeb knew he'd be a little more subtle and courteous than his father had been. He'd practically run an entire army, what was one girl. What was one girl compared to the battles he'd fashioned, the victories he'd won. It was hard on him to think his own father didn't think he could keep one person safe.

"No, no. It's not that." Cain itched at his ear, keeping the hand on the back of his neck. Trying to think of something to say that didn't sound condensing or confusing. Come to think of it, Cain didn't even know why he was so against the idea. Jeb was different. He'd not enjoyed the hands-on life of an officer. Most of Jeb's years were spent in a more authoritarian position and she did need clever looking after. They could work well together. He inwardly scowled at that thought. "You know, I... " Cain shook his head. "Well, if it's what you want to do. You've been running your life for a long time."

"I won't take it if it means we part company on harsh words." Jeb's gaze remained on his father, every word said in earnest. His father stopped pacing and nodded. "Then I'll go talk to the Queen." Jeb stood up, shaking his father's hand. "I'll see you down the path, father."

"You too, son." Cain watched Jeb leave, his heart heavy. He still didn't like it, but there was no good reason. Still, the whole thing reeked of nothing but trouble to him. Cain placed his hat back on his head and left the palace grounds to return to his former life.

* * *

DG awoke from her dream of Kansas, the ceiling melting from the attic roof to the swirls and paint of the palace. Slipping on an overly frilly robe, she ducked out of her room and headed off to the main..… whatever it was room where they seemed to discuss everything. She made a mental note to ask what the name of the room was when she next saw Tutor. Hearing laughter from the room, she rounded the corner expecting to see one set of parents and instead coming upon quite a different scene. There in the room, sitting hand in hand were her elder sister and Ambrose.

Az looking every bit the polished princess in a pale lavender robe and soft ringlets. DG smiled at the sight, she was getting used to seeing her sister and remembering so much of what she had been like. The two were discussing another of Ambrose's great ideas with Az jumping in here and there offering "brilliant" and "wonderful" ideas. Both seeming quite taken with their conversation. "Of course I'm not sure if it will work." Ambrose said slowly, looking over at Az. She playfully patted the top of his hand as the two giggled softly again.

"All of your inventions work, Ambrose. I am sure you will find a way. You always do." The two smiled, faces nearing each other, obviously having a tender moment as DG's eyes widened. You've got to be…

"DG." She whirled around to see her mother the Queen standing behind her. "Have you seen your sister?" All too quickly Az was at her side smiling at their mother, DG turned to see the couch where Ambrose had been now suddenly vacant. Her curiosity was peeked. The Queen escorted them to breakfast or first-meal as they called it here, which was a daily ritual for the family. Mainly it seemed out of necessity since the rest of the day was so busy it was odd for them to see each other despite being under the same roof. DG squirmed in her chair, awaiting a reproachful remark for her behaviour at the ball. It didn't come. First-meal concluded without a hint of negativity, which instead of comforting her made her worry for what was to come.

It wasn't until she had fully dressed that she noticed. He wasn't there. She looked around the hall and down to the room where he was supposed to stay. The room was empty, but that wasn't terribly odd. DG whirled around the corner and nearly ran into her mother.

"Careful darling. These halls have sharp corners." DG muttered an apology. "No harm, I was looking for you anyways." At her confused look, the Queen took her hand and led her into her office. Jeb was standing there by the desk and in that moment, she feared the worst. Was his father ok? Had he been hurt? Had he actually stayed out on that balcony and frozen to death? She realized the last time she had seen him was there. He'd seemed so resilient to the cold before, the last time there were there she could have sworn it didn't even bother… "Darling, Jeb has agreed to be your new bodyguard."

"Wah?" It came out much more un-princess like than it had sounded in her head. Meaning that in her head she supposed she had intended to say "My word, what do you mean by such a statement?" but unfortunately somewhere the message had gotten mixed. Her mother looked confused, Jeb merely smiled and bowed slightly.

"I'm happy to be of service to the crown your majesty." He turned to DG offering a curt nod. "Princess." DG stood still, wanting the floor to eat her up as quickly as possible. So that was it. He had left and put his son in his place. He hadn't even said goodbye. Sensible, she supposed, as realized that she never would have let him leave.

* * *

He should have said goodbye, he owed her that much. She'd been annoying, crazy and a total handful, but in the end they were friends. He could have left a note, said that he thought Jeb would do well. Jeb would do fine, he chided over and over again. Jeb was a hero, he would do well. Better than he did even. Better since he wasn't… whatever he was. His mind wandered idly on the subject, thoughts plagued him as he sat in the seedy bar, waiting for his contact. Cain's hat sat low on his head, not his usual one, which was safe at the station. The Captain had been more than happy to hook him up with this job. None of the other recruits wanted it, but a potentially dangerous vapour dealer didn't seem like such a big deal when you'd been up against what he'd been up against. 

Cain smiled cynically at the thought, taking a swig of his drink. Stars above, when you'd been up against Papay, been in a tin coffin and seen the kinds of horrors he had a vapour dealer was nothing. His pocket watch showed the time later than the deal was supposed to be, Cain wondered what the hold-up was. As soon as he was done with this guy, his next job was definitely this place. Seedy and underground were words too good for it. It reeked of underhanded deals, nearly a walking poster board for the kind of place criminals would frequent.

Lights flickered on and off in the dim light, you'd have no idea it was only mid-day with all the must and shadiness in his current surroundings. A man on the other side of the bar had started watching him, possibly his contact. She'd be nearing mid-meal, just done with her morning lessons with Tutor. Just before she'd chase him down to wish him well, just before he'd normally leave to see Jeb. Cain shook his head, focusing back on his current surroundings. Off and to the left of the bar was a woman who looked like she didn't belong in the environment. Something in him wanted to go talk to her, something said she needed help. Cain glanced away, looking back over at the man on the other side. He was definitely watching him.

"You need some help stranger?"

The man next to the woman was eyeing him. She was afraid and trying to communicate as loudly as she could that she needed his help without uttering a word. Cain shook his head, it wasn't his call. Wasn't his business, his attention refocused on the man on the other side of the bar. If he was connected with the vapour dealer, he was taking his sweet time in watching and contacting him. Of course it was possible there was no connection and he was just a local nosy drunk.

The woman whimpered slightly as the man next to her greeted a new customer. Coins exchanged hands and she was shoved, ever so gently over to the customer. Cain's eyes closed. This was not his job; this was not what he had been assigned. If he went over to help her, he would be giving himself up as a tin man. Practically yelling it from the rooftops. The woman needed his help. He sighed, half-cursing and half-thanking the blue-eyed memory. Fingering his gun and adjusting his badge into view, he watched as the other man ran off as he ran after the damsel in distress. The vapour dealer would wait.

* * *

DG stood twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "All of this?" Her mind was overtaken by the busy list. "How soon does it need to be done?" It seemed endless- galas, goodwill tours, charity events, public speeches and, she shuddered at the thought, their coronations as Queens. Oh God, she thought, these would probably all require dresses. A soft whimper escaped her lips. 

"Darling, of course the entire list. We have so much to do. We have to rebuild our relationship with the people. Earn their trust and loyalty once more." By "we" all DG was hearing was herself and possibly Az if the climate was friendly. This list would take at least a year, annual… whatever. The Queen reached out and calmed DG's hand and hair. "Your coronation and future happiness of course are at the forefront of my mind and that of your fathers." Her mother stroked her hair gently, almost soothing her enough not to catch the last bit she said.

"My future happiness?" DG didn't like the sound of that. That sounded like one of those lines in a Disney movie that was followed by some shopping list of princes or worse, prince wannabes. Although in this case it would be future consorts, which didn't sound any better to her. Consort was a word she associated with a harem ever since her robo-father read her fairytales. She didn't want a harem or even a consort for that matter.

"Well of course your father and I hope that you will find the same happiness in life that we have found." The Queen smiled gently as she spoke. Yeah, DG was sure this was leading to a prince list and a long speech about her duty to produce a royal heir. In this case, that would be a girl. Which was great and all, go girls, but wasn't really the life she had planned out for herself. Come to think of it, none of this was the life she had planned for herself. Wasn't she a magical being now? Shouldn't she be off doing important things with magic instead of worrying about stupid things like breeding? Not that breeding was stupid, but… this line of thinking was going nowhere and her mother was still staring at her.

"The same… You want me to get married?" The Queen nodded, DG let out a nervous laugh that sounded more like an explosion of emotion. "And have…. heirs." She barely got the last word out, her mother was noticeably worried.

"Well, darling. Heirs have a way of working themselves out once you do find that someone." No, no, no. She waved her hand at her mother before she could continue. This was not the time for her mother to try and give her the birds and the bees speech. Robo-mom had given that a long time ago and it had been awkward enough. Actually, more so now that she knew a robot had given her the sex talk. DG shuddered at the thought. Unable to contain her squeamishness, DG rose to her feet.

"So, is there a list of qualifications or something I should be… are there rules for this kind of thing?" Her mother looked at her like she was speaking a different language. She was failing at this communication thing, but she didn't want to lampoon her mother with her unjustified Disney inspired fears. Her mother was Queen here, she reasoned, it couldn't possible be that stupid. She tried again, a little less emotional and more precise. "Are there limitations on the kind of person I could marry?"

"Well," her mother blinked as if she'd never fathomed such a question, "it would not do well if he were related to our family or married already." DG laughed. That was it? No relatives or married men. "If you would be more specific perhaps I could be of some help, dearest. Do you have someone in mind?" DG shook her head rapidly.

"No. No. No. Not at all. I just… I mean I just wanted to know if there was a royalty only policy." As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she realized how stupid she sounded. Yeah, cause her dad Ahamo was so famously royal when he crash-landed here on a hot air balloon from the great regal kingdom of Nebraska. DG smacked her palm against her forehead, a tiny ouch escaping her lips. She needed to stop hitting her head in times of distress. The last remaining brain cells were overworked and close to revolt. "You know, mother. I already knew the answer to that. Sorry." DG picked up the list. A year too busy to think and away from all this sounded good. "So, a goodwill tour. Sounds like fun."


	4. Chapter 4

_disclaimer still attached. I don't own them..  
Again thank you so much for the reviews!_

Cain smiled and offered a farewell wave to the gentleman as he left, his daughter now safely curled under his arm. He walked back into the station, the Captain shaking his head and clucking his tongue softly. He'd barely gotten any guff for abandoning his assignment, but had gotten offhandedly accused of being too used to protecting girls. The girl who looked like a woman was almost fifteen annuals and had run away from home a few cycles earlier. He was happy to have helped, despite the loss of the actual contact. Cain rounded his way back to his recently cluttered desk, looking at reports and not quite finished section assessments.

"We finally got another tip on that vapour dealer." The Captain's words startled him out of his reading. "We're rounding up a group of officers to go. They'll need someone to organize the operation." Captain hadn't directed any operations since long before Azkadellia's regime. Cain glanced across the office, and inwardly groaned, he was the senior officer. Probably the only one of them with any recent field experience. He nodded at the Captain's not so subtle request; taking the papers he was offered. Ah, a compound. The documents included the blueprints and various lists of typed out observations, along with the original case file.

An hour later and his eyes wanted to bleed; this was just like running security back at the palace. Only instead of making sure the princess didn't try and accidentally off herself it was making sure all his wide-eyed little new officers didn't off themselves. Plural. The suns were sinking and the time was nearing for the raid. The planning meeting went off without a hitch. It was time to test out his theories in cold hard reality. With any luck, not a shot would be fired on the officer's side.

They rode down the lower edge of the city, a place not yet touched by the news of the Queen's return to power. A familiar smell in the air filled his mind with memories of his old days in the resistance. Only this time there was no wife and child to come home to, no son playing with toy soldiers eating up his stories. Torn pieces of cloth dangling in the evening breeze. Cain motioned for two officers to cover the rear exit, just in case. He righted himself, adjusting his jacket collar, before raising his leg to kick the door down.

"Officers of her Majesty the Queen Lurline. You are under arrest for violation of her Majesty's law. Surrender yourself or be put to force."

Gunfire rang out aimed in his direction, as he ducked behind an old bookcase. All right so force it was. He hated that speech anyways, it rarely seemed to work. A faint hissing sound confirmed his worst fears, he yelled for his men to cover their faces, hopefully soon enough. Cain raised his own bandana across his nose and mouth. There was a moment of silence; he turned to look into the main room of the compound. Four men were huddled there; they saw him and proceeded to shoot at him. Cain's men in the back should have worked their way behind the group by now, unless… the vapours. He sighed. Why didn't anything go to plan?

Something on the floor crunched. It was over by the direction of the main room. Were the bad guys moving? Cain quickly turned to take a glance, nearly diving for the ground, as they indeed were moving and were getting quite close to his current position. The officer to his right was nervous; Cain could almost hear his shaky breath over the sound of the gunfire. Not that this was exactly his ideal situation, the hair on the back of his neck certainly wasn't calm, but he wasn't thrilled that the young officer was giving away their position. Soon enough the four men should be running out of ammo, Cain hoped more than figured.

"Officers of her Majesty..." The men in the back didn't finish their speech. It was almost comical, what had they gotten lost and forgotten that only the operation leader need give the speech? The speech wasn't a one per criminal deal. Sounds of gunfire filled the small space again, but this time he heard a shot connect with flesh. A soft thud and a stifled groan escaping a man's lips. Better not have been one of his... Cain turned to see Jenkins, one of the men he'd ordered around the back, lying on the floor behind the four men. No more easy way. Cain came out guns blazing, shooting all four men attempting to wound instead of kill. All four shots connected. All four men remained alive. For now. He stood over the four groaning men, kicking them slightly as he made his way over the Jenkins.

"Jenkins..." Cain sighed, grabbing Jenkins' bandana off his face, hoping the vapours would sooth some of the young man's pain. Cain took the bandana and pressed it to the wound to stop it from bleeding. He looked about Jeb's age, which didn't make the situation any better. Cain turned to look behind him, glancing as the rest of his men were handcuffing the four villains and dragging them out the open door. "Go see if you can get a surgeon. Quickly now!" Cain yelled after them, one of them nodding at him and running off in thankfully the correct direction.

"Sorry, sir." Jenkins muttered, clearly aware that his current state was due to the incorrect timing and even more so the unnecessary speech. Cain nodded at him, placing a hand on his shoulder and hoping the surgeon would arrive in time. It was the poor kid's first raid, but in this job there were often not second chances. And he had thought these days were behind him, Cain nearly laughed at the thought. He'd been in the palace too long. The battle wasn't over yet. The resistance was still fighting; it just had better backup now. Cain's thoughts turned to Jeb as his mind absently wondered how his young son dealt with this for all those years.

* * *

Jeb was convinced his father was a holy figure, or at least a man with the patience of one. The young princess, he had quickly learned, did everything her own way. Arguing was useless. Logic was pointless. All you could do was smile, nod, and try and find some way to buffer the danger. The past cycles had been the beginning of the princesses' goodwill tour. The first stop was supposed to be the fields of the Papay, but the younger princess naturally had other ideas. In her defense, she wasn't exactly aware of the whole situation. To his own amazement, he had been able to accept the new Azkadellia, but others he knew had and would not. That her majesty had entrusted both her daughters care to him for this tour was no small matter. His thoughts were jarred every now and then again by the jostling of the carriage as it wound along the bumpy roads. Jeb's eyes were too weary to reach down and grab a sheet to scribble a note off to his father. The two princesses were now as he liked them best, both sleeping, barely able to see their pretty faces over the overly large blanket the two shared. 

Men on horses, ones Jeb had personally chosen, guarded the carriage from all sides. Still, Jeb was nervous about the trip. He had only been able to stop the youngest princess once, he'd refused to make a stop in Central City. That would come later, he'd reminded her, when the Emerald was returned to its rightful place in the heart of the city. Jeb knew good and well that the ceremony was quite a few more cycles away, and wished he had some way of securing the city's grounds so he could have granted her request. Not just to avoid the look of sorrow and disappointment in her wide eyes, but also since he would have liked to see his father.

"Milltown!" DG exclaimed as she awoke, pushing down the blanket and leaning out and up the window to see her bodyguard. "We have to stop here!" Jeb shook his head at her, about to speak but she was faster than he was. "Driver, please stop the carriage." The driver of course stopped, the Queen's man on the back of the carriage hopping off to open the door and assist DG down the carriage steps. She adjusted her silly cape; let the hood glide down so she could take in her environment. Az had awoken from her slumber as well, now standing at her sister's side.

"Is it safe?" Az looked worried, while improvements were obviously being made, Milltown was still mostly in a state of disrepair. DG smiled, grabbing her hand before running into the center of the town, dragging her sister along with her. The two, looking quite the pair, stood in the town square. DG turning from side to side to side, looking at each building for signs of life. Artificial life though it was. The door to the main building opened just as Jeb skidded next to them.

"Are you nuts?" Jeb muttered as he looked at the younger princess with eyes almost as wide as her own. His heart was racing and trying to take in possible tactical advantages the square could offer. His men were still awaiting his order. DG scoffed at him as robots in every shape and form appeared from the surrounding buildings. Oh great, they were surrounded. No plan necessary. Heck at this point they could have them. He didn't want them anymore. Jeb sighed.

"These are my friends." Father Vue smiled in agreement as DG spoke, Jeb still not sure where this was going. Although all the robots were trying to bow, each in their own way. "And I have some one I'd like to introduce you to." DG clutched her sister's hand, trying to phrase her words carefully. "You all know I had an elder sister." The robots shuddered slightly, Father Vue's face clouding over. "Well... the witch has left her." Az lifted her head, looking like a meek deer in large headlights, her own hood now giving way to gravity. "I'd like you all to meet my sister, Az." Az gave everyone a limp wave, still holding onto DG in a tight grip with her other hand. "The two of us, together, are touring the O.Z. to try and see how things are going for you." The robots looked from one to another. Father Vue's eyes trained on DG as if he was trying to detect a spell. "So... how are things going?"

"We are still trying to recover from the Sorceress's reign of evil." Father Vue spoke plainly, the rest of the robots bobbing heads in agreement. "We had heard news from nearby towns that the Sorceress was defeated. As you can see, we have made advancements in the recent cycle." DG looked around, somehow just noticing the newly dry gravel beneath her feet. Some windows were repaired, buildings half cleaned. It was a good start.

"It's a great start. My dad would love to see the old place as it was." DG knew her robo-parents would end up here again soon enough. They stayed at the palace mainly for her comfort and to discuss her childhood with her real parents. Which despite sounding odd, DG thought was kinda sweet. She couldn't fault them for wanting to know what they'd missed for all those years, just like she now was learning what she had missed. "Is there any assistance the crown can offer?" Father Vue smiled at that, his eyes wrinkling as he gestured for the two princesses to come inside.

Jeb followed the two princesses in, hands still firmly on his hips in protest. He didn't have to like that she was always throwing them into situations he couldn't control. All three of them sat around as Father Vue prattled on about the history of Milltown and what would be needed to restore it to its former glory. Jeb noticed the robot leader smiling at both of the princesses as if one had never terrorized his home. Jeb had to hand it to her, she often threw them into dangerous situations he couldn't control, but damned if she could.

* * *

Cain set his hat on the dresser as he entered the small room. He wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. Jenkins was still slowly patching up, thanks to the lone intelligent officer from his station. The surgeon said he'd make a full recovery and in the last cycle he'd certainly improved. The room seemed to be getting smaller each day. It wasn't as the Captain had assumed. "You'd be used to finer surroundings by now." A desk, dresser, bed and small window was really all he needed. The bare necessities. 

Only a tin horse and a stack of letters proof that he had resided here for a time. Cain gripped the letter in his hand, looking down at his son's penmanship, able to discern where each jump of the carriage had occurred. He turned the letter over in his hand, unsure if he wanted to read it. Rolling his eyes at his own foolishness, Cain ripped the letter open, unfolding the thick paper.

_Dear Father,_

_We're just heading back through Milltown again, our second visit to this isolated robot haven. The princesses used their magic to heal the Papay fields, our supposed first and actual thirty-fourth stop on this trip. Just over the horizon, I felt as if I could see our old home, our old own isolated haven. We're running near behind schedule. Your life sounds more exciting than mine. There's no scouting out of those once loyal to the Sorceress here, just silly princesses. The ceremony for the return of the emerald to Central City seems to be a day away. I'm looking forward to seeing you. Her highness Princess Dorothea Gale also requested that I express her hope that you will be attending the ceremony itself. She says to tell you that Ambrose and Raw will be attending as well. _

_I'll see you down the path, hopefully soon._

_Jeb. _

Her highness requests. It sounded like the kid was giving Jeb more than a little trouble. Thirty-three extra stops, he laughed at that. Sounded like DG. Cain placed the letter on top of the pile. His hand rubbing his jaw line as his mind wandered off into the past. At least she didn't hate him, she couldn't hate him if she wanted him to attend. Cain reached into a drawer, pulling out a sheet of paper and a fountain pen. Of course, it could be a royal decree since he noted that Ambrose and Raw were attending.

The chair creaked as he leaned back in it. He should have said goodbye, should have written, should have done something. Now he'd pay for it in an impending awkward exchange, just as he was hoping for one of those famous DG hugs. Cain had often pictured seeing her again, the three of them talking and exchanging stories of their travels. Her eyes wide and alive as she laughed at his sorry attempts at humour, his son able to appreciate the efforts he had made in the city. He wasn't sure what would really happen when they met again, but he looked forward to it. Looked forward to the warmth. Outside of the confines of this tiny dead room.

* * *

DG rushed into the gigantic hall. Home again. Her mother and father would be delighted that their trip had gone so well. Despite it all, even she had enjoyed it. High heels tapped to and fro as she made her way up the curved staircase and into the every essential family room where of course her parents were talking. She greeted them both with hugs and kisses, too happy for words to be out of the constraints of the carriage and back in a familiar setting. Some propriety overtaking her, DG sat carefully down on the couch as Az entered the room, noticing for the first time that Ambrose was, as ever, in his corner perched on a small chair. Something was in the air. Something... Jeb walked in, offering a bow and breaking whatever enchantment she had sensed. 

"Your majesty. Your daughters, as promised." The Queen thanked him, but was noticeably quick to dismiss him and allow him to return to his room at the palace. Jeb had work to do, the Emerald ceremony the following day and as he said "a mess of security" to figure out for it. DG watched as he left before returning her attention back to her parents. Az was still standing, looking from her parents' faces to hers to Ambrose and back again. Her mother and father began what was now a familiar sight, a silent conversation both saying nothing aloud but coming to an agreement on whatever topic was plaguing their otherwise happy return. Her mother clasped Az's hand, nodding slightly.

"What did I miss?" DG looked at her parents and Az, not liking the feeling that she had been left in the dark. Which judging from their reactions to her question she definitely had. Annoyed hands picked and straightened the smooth fabric of her long dress. DG was aware she was the youngest, the baby, and that her parents had treated her differently as a child. Az had been smart, Az had gotten everything the first time, Az followed their rules. But it ached her heart to think that the years of separation had bred further distance between her and her family. That they were keeping secrets from her. Az sat down next to her, obviously unsure how to approach the subject.

"I didn't want to burden you, Deeg." Burden her. Please. People in the O.Z. certainly had a weird way of expression their affection- concealing the truth from her, leaving her without so much as a goodbye. If those were the supposed bonds of sisterhood and friendship, she wanted to go back to Kansas. The anger was welling up in her throat, destined to come out as something embarrassing like a wave of hiccups. "For the past few cycles..." Az stopped, not happy with where she had started. "Ambrose came to court at a young age. We were all friends." DG remembered that distantly as if hearing music from another room. The two of them had always been plotting some sort of intelligent scheme, trying to explain something fantastical to her. Her mind remembering their conversation not so recently ago, the pieces dropping one by one in place.

"You're going to marry him." She turned to look accusatorily at Az, not sure if she had phrased it as a question or a statement. The expression had nothing to do with her concern at Az's choice. Oh, they'd be happy and they'd have weeks where they'd talk to their hearts content about a dozen subjects they both adored. DG had mostly accepted that Glitch was an infrequent visitor, buried in the back of Ambrose's rather large cranium, but losing her sister too… She wanted to cry, complain or pout, but instead a voice not quite her own responded. "I wish you every happiness." DG rose and left the room for the safety and isolation of her own.

* * *

Jeb stood outside the younger princess's room, letter clutched in hand, hoping she would open the door. He had been told she hadn't for the Queen, Consort or her sister, but perhaps a little bribery would do the trick. His fist pounded the door once more; unexpectedly it opened without a word. Jeb's eyebrows raised as he entered the large space, turning to see the princess dressed and ready to go for the Emerald ceremony even though it was hours early. He shut the door behind him, noticing she didn't turn as he entered and wondering if the door had opened by accident. 

"Magic." DG said dryly, answering his unasked question. She stood framed by the window, looking regal in an icy blue gown. It seemed to match her mood. "You yelled something about a letter?" Her hand trailed her collarbone as she spoke, resting center and staying there as she turned to see face him. The room seemed to drop a few degrees, sending a chill down Jeb's spine.

"Yes, I thought you'd want to know my father plans on attending the ceremony tonight." She nodded, looking somewhat surprised at the news. "The security is all arranged, just as much of a pain as I said it would be." DG nodded again, hand still resting as if it was protecting her heart from the world. Jeb shifted, she seemed unaware that he was dressed for the occasion as well. "Not as much a pain as the clothing." A poor attempt at a joke, but one he hoped would work. Her mouth formed a perfect oh as she looked down at her dress.

"You don't like it?" DG mused aloud at his comment, watching as her sister's form appeared in the somehow reopened door. It was cheating; DG couldn't help but think, using Jeb as a distraction so her mind would be elsewhere. She turned back to face the window. "Thank you Jeb." Nodding slightly to dismiss him, feeling Az grow nearer. "That was a dirty trick."

"I had to talk to you."

DG whirled around to face her. "Now? We were together, alone touring for months... cycles. You never breathed a word of this." Az nodded apologetically, carefully pulling her into an embrace. "I'm sorry, Az. I'm sorry. I just don't want to be alone." DG squinted as she tried to block out an image of the time to come. Flanked both sides by her mother and father, Ambrose and Az on the other, her stuck in the middle leftover to try and catch whatever time was left at the end of the day. She held Az closer, not wishing to lose her once more.

"I know and you won't be. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to pain you." DG leaned back, still holding onto both of her elder sister's hands. She looked into her elder sister's eyes, hoping for so clue as to what pain she had hoped to avoid by lying to her the whole time. Was that what all this was? People trying to avoid causing her pain?

"Pain me?" DG knew that look on Az's face. The 'dear little sister, how do I explain this to you' look. She hated the look. It meant she was about to be told something that her elder sister had assumed she'd known for a while. Something Az deemed as obvious. Something she had no clue about, as of course she wasn't as smart as Az was. Before Az could translate the obvious into the literal, the Queen rushed in through the open door. She beamed proudly at her two reconciled daughters.

DG looked at her oddly, not sure what her mother was so pleased about. The Queen gestured to the mirror, DG turned to look at the reflection. They could be a painting hanging on someone's wall. Azkadellia in a fitting emerald green, her mother in her signature lavender and she looked, well she looked like a crowned princess. No wobbling on the jeweled slippers, no discomfort in the formal gown, and no oddity in the balance it took to keep the tiara on her head. She'd changed these past months, she hadn't noticed it, but a future Queen returned her gaze in the reflection.

"It's an hour's ride to Central City." The Queen reminded them both. "Very soon it will be time for us all to leave."


	5. Chapter 5

_disclaimer as before.  
Thanks again for the kind reviews._

"Shouldn't you be going?" Cain eyed his son as he spoke, buttoning buttons and trying to straighten out his coat for the occasion. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that he had missed the suit. Cain hadn't been this clean since, well since the last ceremony.

"I just got here and you want me to leave?" Jeb smiled at his father, who threw him a slightly apologetic gesture. "Don't be nervous, father. I know when I have to leave. Anyway, this is all on the princesses. We just have to stand and make sure they don't get hurt." Cain winced at the statement. He was pretty sure he'd thoroughly hurt one of them. He watched as his son eyed the small space, smiling at the pile of letters and toy horse on the desk. "Not very homey."

"I'm not here much." It wasn't a complete lie, he tried not to be here alone with his thoughts as much as he could. Didn't stop him from being here off-hours though. The bar was a bad idea and the station left him open to the innumerable amount of questions young officers could ask. Cain brushed off his shoulders and turned to look at his son. "Well? You're in court more often than me now. How do I look?"

"Very good, but you're missing your… " Jeb pointed to where his most recently granted medal would go. Cain stepped over and picked his pillow up, revealing the medal and an indent on the mattress from where it had rested for so long. "You keep it under your pillow?" Cain nodded, taking it off the ribbon and affixing it to the front of his jacket. He had enough metal on him to attract lightning in a storm. He noticed Jeb was still staring at him, as if he hadn't answered a question.

"Yes, I keep it there for safekeeping. This isn't a palace with guards." Jeb had lost touch with reality faster than he had expected. He adjusted the stiff cuffs and a stray button he'd missed. The suit felt warmer than normal, a good thing he supposed since the ceremony would be taking place at Central City's tallest tower. It would feel good to be able to refer to this place as the Emerald City once more. The old O.Z. was coming back gradually, faster than he had expected.

"Where do you keep all your other medals?" The question confused him. On his uniform of course, in the drawer where it belonged. Jeb sounded like one of his young officers at the station. Where do you keep your official papers? How do I document this transaction? Where is the law book of the Queen? How can I correctly add changes her Majesty has made to the law book? On and on like he was a walking encyclopedia of all things old. Cain paused at that. Days like today he felt like an ancient relic of the old ways.

Jeb watched his father carefully place the ribbon back under his pillow. Jeb crossed his arms across his chest as his father continued to brood. His father stood framed by the window, posture so correct he could still have been standing in that tin suit. "I'll see you at the ceremony father." He knew he garbled the words, forcing them out so quickly that his father might not have heard. It didn't matter. They would see each other later.

* * *

DG and Az stood at the far end of the hall, each with a hand on the Emerald. Carefully they placed it back in its tiny clear container. The moment it clicked closed, a green light emanated from it, magically casting its emerald shade on the rooftops of all Central City. The Emerald City once more, its magic would protect the city from any future harm. Applause emanating from the gathered crowd of mostly familiar faces with glasses of that equally familiar bubbling drink. DG had learned it was distilled from a fairy brew and contained similar properties to alcohol. She'd avoided it since the last ceremony and did so here, shaking her head when offered a glass. 

Cain stood at the far end, back by his son and by the security detail. He could make out Ambrose and Raw near the front by the Queen. He accepted the glass quickly, grasping it tightly in his hand. The whole scene was making him feel uncomfortable. He shouldn't have come, but he told her he would. At some point, he hoped he could work up the nerve to apologize to her. Maybe things could return to how they had been. The Queen took a step forward, glass in hand.

"It is with great joy that I would like to announce to you all the betrothal of our daughter." The crowd tittered its approval. Cain's eyes went wide, looking sharply over at Jeb. No one had bothered to tell him, not even his own son. He watched with horror as Glitch, Ambrose, whoever the hell he was took a step towards the Queen. The sound in the room seemed to go out into a quiet hush, but only for him. The rest of the guests were still laughing, clinking glasses and basking in the revelry. He had left her. This is what he deserved. There was to be no apology, no moment of reconciliation, it was his time to leave.

"Azkadellia, dearest." The Queen called, forcing Cain to turn back around to face them. Ambrose kissed Azkadellia's hand, the two beaming at each other, before becoming aware of the on looking crowd. They both smiled and waved nervously. Cain blinked, looking over to DG who was applauding off to the side. Sound returned abruptly, the applause and cheering at full volume. Jeb was staring at him, but he didn't have an explanation. It was like he'd lost and regained his heart without his knowledge in that moment.

He'd come. DG could make out his figure near Jeb in the back of the hall. The whole of the ceremony she'd thought he'd gone back on his word. DG smiled as Raw informed her that his tribe was settling in well, well enough that he'd be able to visit the ice palace, well enough that he'd be able to come to the coronation. The coronation. DG took in a deep breath and nodded when he mentioned it. Coming up sooner than she had expected. She eyed him through the crowd. Was she going to have to chase him down? DG began to wonder if he was going to stand forever in the dark corner.

"Princess." Cain appeared in front her.

"Officer." Now that he was here, she wasn't sure what to say. The two stood awkwardly facing each other. Raw was drawn into a conversation with her father as the two continued to stand in place. "Well this is awkward..."

"I'm sorry." DG looked up at him, not sure where this was going. "I should have said goodbye before I left, I should have sent a note, or…"

"Or what?" She cut him off, smiling sadly at him, her head tilting to the side. "What do you think would have happened? If you had." DG cut off there, fearful of what she might say next; even more unsure she wanted to continue this conversation. Curiosity won out. She wanted to hear what he'd have to say, if anything. "If you had, do you really think I would have let you go?" She took a step towards him, barely needing to reach out to touch him. DG shook her head in answer to her own question, her hand raised to rest on the heart shaped medal she'd slipped around his neck not all that long ago. Her gloved finger tracing the pattern etched on the metal, her eyes fixed on the engraving. _For Valour. Valour in battle. _Her head tilted to the other side, waiting for him to respond.

Cain stood there perfectly still as her finger traced over the lines of his heart. The air around him was heavy and he was unsure he could move if he had wanted to. He took in a breath, resting his forehead to hers, slowly leaning in so their noses would touch. Her hand stopped, but stayed rested on his chest. He was pretty sure she could feel how fast his heart was beating, even in this suit. There he paused, unsure if he could continue. DG's eyelashes fluttered wildly as her eyes turned their focus from his chest and up to his... Cain stopped there and took a step back, the air seemed more breathable back here. He couldn't do this. DG blinked, her hand now connecting with air. Her eyes stayed low to the ground as she steadied her breathing.

"Cain!" The Captain took a step out of the crowd towards them. They both turned to see him and Jeb. The Captain offered a jaunty bow, before turning back to his senior officer. The elder man had clearly had more than a few glasses. He spoke almost as though he was singing. "Young Jeb here tells me that the trials are coming up soon." Jeb shook his head, uncomfortable with the conversation.

"I said no such thing, father. The Captain here seems to have an avid interest in the punishment of the culprits."

"Well, yes. Yes. Most of us do. We are all not sure how they are going to be dealt with." The Captain's eyes turned towards the princess at the end of his statement. DG wasn't sure how to respond. The trials would be on a case-by-case basis. With the immunity her sister had been given, she expected that there would be long and formal trials to discern whether the soldiers under her command had been evil in earnest or under the witch's spell.

"I'm sure they'll all be dealt with justly and according to the law." The law the princess spoke of Jeb was sure would condemn them all to death. Then he could close that unfortunate chapter of his life. Jeb took a sip from his glass, seeing his father's glare on him as he finished it in one swig. Trials would be before the coronation, yet another big gala event Jeb was sure he wasn't looking forward to. He looked from his father and back to the princess, sensing a familiar something. Something Jeb hadn't been able to put his finger on just yet. Jeb looked nervously back over at the Captain.

"I'm sure we're boring the princess," Jeb turned to look at the man next to him, wanting to be anywhere but near this far corner. "Come Captain. I'd like to hear what you and my father have been up to." Jeb led the older man off to another section of the room, motioning to his father to stay when he tried to join them. They stood still, framed by the window, both looking at the surrounding crowd.

"Come, Mr. Cain." DG said in a low voice, extending her arm and barely waiting for him to take it before taking a step off towards the long hall. The two slipped arm in arm through the oblivious people, both growing easier as the crowd thinned into nothingness. There when she was sure they were out of the eyesight of nobility, she pulled him into a hug. DG relaxed as he slowly placed his arms around her. "We are still friends..." She pulled back to quizzically look him in the eye. "Aren't we?" Cain quickly nodded, happy she had decided to put his past actions behind them. "Good." DG eased out of the embrace, offering him her arm once more and continuing to stroll down the hall.

He eyed her as they continued to slowly walk. Something was very different about her, a confidence he hadn't seen before. She strode next to him as if she was gliding, her neck held perfectly high even in moments of casual conversation. Her mother had rubbed off on her or she was taking to the role better than it appeared either of them had expected. His eyes slid from her neck down along her collarbone and off to her shoulder where the sleeves of the silvery blue dress barely rested. Bits of some lace and jewels nestled in the fabric, making it impossible for her to walk silently, but still she managed to make it seem effortless. His silver encased arm interlaced with her gloved white arm and for a moment, he could pretend that things were not as they were.

"We haven't seen each other in so long." DG's voice broke him out of his daydream. "There must be a lot to catch up on." He still couldn't find his voice to answer her, so he nodded, hoping she could carry on the conversation for the two of them. "Jeb is doing well, though I think he's a bit bored." Cain smiled at this; more because she had picked up on it than that his son was wallowing in the tedium of the job. "Of course you've now heard about my sister and Ambrose." She faltered for a bit, not quite able to walk and utter that particular statement aloud.

"Princess?" He steadied her, taken aback at her quick save of face. There was another difference in a now long list. They were no longer honest with each other, both as formal and as cold with each other as any courtier would be with a noble. Glumly he noted that he had started this way of relating. For the best of reasons, he comforted himself, to protect her.

"I'll be attending the trials." Her eyes avoided his concern, her feet forcing them to continue on to the end of the hall. The coronation would be coming up soon as well, but she was unsure if she should invite him. He obviously didn't even want to be here. Cain walked stiffly in the tailored silver suit, a fitting colour she thought. "And coronation." She forced the words out. "Will be coming up quickly of course, but you don't have to attend." Cain stopped walking, his solid arm tugging hers to pause as well.

"Why wouldn't I attend?" Practically the whole kingdom would be there and he was a subject. Cain was confused. Was she trying to give him a special royal dispensation that he wouldn't have to attend? DG's eyes were emotionless, looking at him as if he already knew the answer to his own question. "What's happened to you?" She didn't respond. This wasn't the kind of friendship he'd wanted. The kind that every commoner was entitled to have from a magnanimous, concerned future Queen. It irritated him to his very core. "You used to say that I should always have heart in what I did. What happened to yours?" Something flickered in her blue eyes as she placed a hand back on the medal she'd bestowed upon him.

"I had one." She looked down at the badge. "I gave it away." The layers of silk and lace seemed to disappear as she spoke. DG felt naked in front of him and didn't know quite how to handle it. She hadn't been planning on divulging that little secret just yet, just ever. She was lonely, had been lonely, but without him there to remind her it had been easier. Cain took the hand she placed on his heart in his own; he paused there before pressing the gloved hand slowly to his lips.

"I'll see you at your coronation." His eyes fixed on her as he spoke. There they stood, hands clasped, until a noise from the side caught his attention. Cain bowed slightly and turned to leave. Frozen and confused she watched him go, before turning to see an intruder who had happened upon the scene. Jeb stood there, his expression mirroring hers. DG turned back to the hallway Cain had walked off into, no sight of him to be found. She looked back to Jeb, who somehow forced himself to offer her a bow, before stating the reason for his presence.

"Your mother sent me to fetch you."


	6. Chapter 6

_disclaimer as before.  
Thanks so much for the lovely reviews!_

Jeb sank back on his heels, bored through and through. The Queen and two princesses huddled around a mess of papers, all looking up and down them, murmuring and nodding from time to time. This was not what he had expected. The job and the trials. He eyed the younger princess, not sure if there would ever be an appropriate time to discuss what he had accidentally uncovered at the ceremony. Jeb still wasn't sure what he felt about the whole thing. The trials at least he knew his firm opinion on. The naiveté of the royal family baffled him. Of course, all of the longcoats would claim they had been under the Sorceress's spell, and they had. Now he had to sit back and wait. There was another option.He could use her secret to force her to keep his, but he would leave that be for now.

He had no patience for the long lists of evidence the Crown had been slowly gathering over the last few cycles. "Heroes are awarded first," the younger princess had told him, "we will sort out the victims and the criminals later." Not much to sort out, the ones who had done the killing to be punished, the ones persecuted to be restored. It wasn't that complicated in his opinion. Not that anyone asked him. Some agreement was made between the royal ladies and they all stood, looking to go their separate ways.

She nearly brushed past him as she made her way through the door. DG tightly gripped all of the documents still under her care. Her mother made it clear that she was to have an active part in these cases. The judges would have the final decisions, but an involved Crown would soothe the kingdom's ponderings at Az's lack of prosecution. She could still feel his eyes on her, DG turned slightly, watching Jeb watch her walk down the hall. Now she knew what a goldfish felt like, a guilty goldfish. Though the reason she felt any guilt eluded her. The silence was stifling her.

She entered her room, sitting down at her desk and motioned to the empty chair beside her, blue eyes begging him to take a seat. "Jeb." He bowed, not the reaction she was hoping for. She motioned again to the chair as he stood, two became locked in a wordless battle for supremacy. In the end, she won out and he sat, though he stayed uncomfortably perched on the edge of the chair, not wanting to give her any indication that he was any less than formal. The turn of events almost amused him, her having to trust him with her secret. The princess who could talk her way out of any situation having to rely on silence as tool. Her face was nearly devoured by the large documents she was reading or pretending to read. She lowered them, uncovering her face.

"I know the trials are going to be particularly hard on you… " So then, not the conversation he thought she was going to bring up. Jeb leaned back into a more comfortable position, his face returning to its usual blank state. "Hearing what these men did in their own words." Jeb was stunned that they would be allowed to speak, much less publicly. This complicated things and his mind reeled at the possibilities. "You are going to be asked to testify at Zero's trial." The name, that name made all the hate rile up in his body. Testify. Nothing, no words could ever sum up what that man had done. How he had shaped and altered his life almost beyond repair. That man speaking could destroy him.

"I don't see the point." Jeb had her full attention now; gone was his normal reserved mask and controlled features, a cold fire now burning in his eyes. She thought it was strange, for a moment, that he could so easily forgive her sister, but not the man who carried out her orders. His fists clenched as he stared through her and into another time. His mind flashing back to that hallway scene. Jeb wondered if his father had been able to move on, been able to face the past, and let his mother go. He was convinced he'd never be able to.

* * *

Cain sat on his bed, hands clasped, head down low. He glanced over at the medal, barely visible from under his pillow, his mind stuck between a long ago memory and a fresh pain of new regret. Could he… Cain shook off the thought. He'd restored a family together today. They'd been separated the entire regime. Husband and wife that had no idea the other had been alive for eight long annuals. Their little girl's eyes wide and confused as it had to be explained to her who the strange man was. The man was her father. There had been tears, not the kind his eyes were threatening to shed now in the sanctity of his own room, but the kind that flew out of joy. Joy and relief. Disbelief that the hope they had held for so long had been granted. 

It had been an accident. A little girl playing in the road, Cain on his way to yet another assignment couldn't help but move her out of the way. Fear overtaking her round face as she realized how far away from home she had strayed. Her tiny hand resting in his as he led her back to the station. Sitting on his desk, her legs swinging as she told him what her name was. Where she thought she lived. That her father was dead, had died in the war at the longcoat's hand. She would have had to have been a baby, it would have been a story she had heard. Cain had sent another officer to go fetch her mother, promising the little girl that he'd stay with her. She wasn't so trusting, insisting on staying with him and him alone in the crowded office. It'd been a long time since Jeb had been so small and then his mother had seen so much more of him. When Jeb was about this age Cain had made his decision to take a stand. The moment her mother entered the station he'd recognized her.

So many horrible things had happened. Terrible things he'd missed locked in that suit with his nightmares and memories. The girl's father, an old friend, had come in later, muttering something about how he'd paid his permits until their eyes locked. Cain didn't cry, not in front of them. He'd accepted no thanks, slipping away into the darkened back of the station. They'd had their moment, arms tugging, trying to get all three of them as close together as they could. The whole station watching. This is why he'd always been an officer of the law. It had been what she had loved about him.

What had she looked like? Cain closed his eyes, willing the memory of her to return instead of only the hazy memory of her falling, tears streaming down her eyes as she called out for Jeb, the man over her readying his hand to strike another blow. Adora had been a constant part of his life for so long, a guiding light in times of trouble. Was this now dishonouring her memory? Was he no longer the man who did the right thing? Had he even done the right thing in the past? He looked back at the medal again. The half heart looked crushed by the lumpy pillow's unexpected weight. The family's reunion today was what he had been hoping for. What he had wanted coming out of that suit… but not what he had received instead. The world was changing, he realized, it wasn't restoring the old ways. Things would never be the same.

* * *

The darkened tower had been returned to its previous use, as a jail instead of a haven for those who abused and broke the OZ's laws and people. Jeb felt uneasy, the last time he'd been here the Queen had thanked him, his father had introduced him to her, the younger princess he was now following. They made their way through seemingly random passageways. A labyrinth to those who did not know its secrets. DG didn't know them, but she was following her elder sister whose former self had made this dreary place her refuge. The Queen's guards were posted at every turn, Jeb becoming increasingly aware of his own redundancy. He still didn't like it, despite them being the only two capable of the magical detection, only reluctantly agreeing when forced and even then only by order of the Queen. They stopped at the center of a cellblock, the elder princess pointing down a long hall. 

"I will check this end. Why don't you and Jeb go down the other side Deeg?" The younger princess nodded, turning to go her separate way. If it had been up to him, he would have stayed with the elder princess, trusting her somehow less in this odd situation. Normally he'd mark the younger as the troublemaker, but not here. Here it seemed far enough away from the Queen's light that the old witch could haunt the halls. The old Sorceress's magic whispered on air that filled the rooms. The younger princess must have noticed his unease as she turned around, a light steadily glowing from within her body until it filled the hall driving away any possible enchantment that had rested here.

"We'll be fine. Come on." DG held out her hand to him, surprisingly he quickly took it. His dread fading as the light continued its way down to the end of their hall. The two exchanged a smile, looking out down the now lit hall as they made their way through her list. They parted hands as she approached the first inmate, the light remaining constant. DG crouched down where the prisoner was sitting, her dress pooling around her as she peered into the cell.

They didn't deserve her time, her attention. It was a waste of time, looking for innocence and grief in a group full of the Sorceress's closest followers. Longcoats, he chided, they should have been called turncoats. Once the best and brightest of the Queen's army, once the most loyal. Now here cowering in the darkness they had created for themselves. None here deserving mercy for their countless crimes. A twisted smile found its way on Jeb's face as he thought of a more inventive kind of punishment that had been turned against one who had inflicted it.

At first Jeb nearly scoffed aloud at her tentative tone towards the prisoner, treating them more like a friend than the enemy they were. Huddled and contorting in pain from some unknown attacker, the man sat in the clinging darkness. The man's voice returned hers, both strained and afraid. The taint of magic still on him like a hex. He watched as the younger princess reached out her hand to him, holding the man's hand just as she had held his.

Something that looked like a cloud of swirling dust fled the man's body as he gripped her hand for his life. The man now released from the evil taint. Jeb smiled with a newfound appreciation for the princess. He wasn't expecting what he came next. Two pale blue eyes, afraid and alarmed, yet staring right into his soul. They pleaded with him, some form of mad apology repeated a thousand times over, one Jeb was too shocked to reject. The man's eyes looked from him back to the princess.

"Kill me." The man said softly, pleading with all his breath. "Please, for what I have done. A small kindness, highness. Please." The princess shook her head, taking her hand out of the cell. "Kill me!" He screamed loudly, throwing himself into view of the light. Pale hair, in the uniform of a longcoat, the blue eyes now raging with regret and fear. Zero stood before him, screaming for his death.

* * *

DG stood still, trying not to breathe too much as the seamstress inserted pin after pin into the fabric. The coronation was coming up a little too soon. The spell placed over most of the longcoats was now gone, as for the longcoats themselves few were ready to be released, most demanding death or incarceration for their crimes. Each choosing to be their own personal judge and jury. The Queen hadn't known what to do at this newest revelation, neither had either of the princesses. Az sinking even more into the confines of her own chambers, Ambrose tending to her now more than ever. The public reaction caused nothing but further confusion. Their eyes, all their eyes, were so haunted. She shuddered a little, causing a tiny pin to pierce her flesh. 

"Ouch." The seamstress muttered an apology, still trying to fit the white fabric perfectly against her form. DG looked over to where Jeb was standing in the doorframe. He hadn't spoken a word since they'd left the tower days ago. He'd nodded and grunted out what could be easily mistaken for a yes or no, dipped a lower bow and avoided her gaze. When he'd had any free time she saw him sitting in a corner, hunched over and clutching a pen. Desperately trying to commit something to paper. Perhaps a letter to his father, but still, DG was concerned. A noise of happiness escaped the seamstress's lips. Her coronation gown was fitted.

It was, as her mother said, "a happy compromise". The collar was at least similar to the one her mother wore, a kind of peter pan beaded thing. She'd refused the corset, opting for a slim bowed belt, but the dress still glimmered and glistened thanks to the aid of thousands of magical beads parading along the fabric's surface. Her mind drifted into another life. There was no way she could ever ride her motorcycle in this outfit. The crown would fall off for sure and the handlebars had no chance of passing the shoulder length white glove test. She'd have to be pristine and untouched in it. It was just the next gown in a long line, soon she'd have to be fitted for another one for Az's impending wedding. Dress after dress. She didn't mind nearly as much as she should. Didn't miss her old life nearly as much as she should. All of the past was slipping away from her. The seamstress slowly took the gown off her, keeping her pins in place, until it was off and undone DG left standing in a slip that could double as another dress. Still it felt like nakedness compared to the usual weight and DG scampered off quickly to put a robe on. The steamstress bowed and left as DG sunk onto the chaise, her eyes trained on Jeb.

"Something bothering you?" She was talking to him? Jeb took a step into her room from the doorframe. "I noticed you've been trying to write." It really was none of her business, or maybe it would be soon. She seemed to have filled a role in his father's heart he thought would forever be vacant. Family secrets. Family lies. Things he was afraid would come out in the open now. Now that they were even more complicated than he had imagined. "I suppose it's not my place." She called over back of the chaise, her hands working to close the robe more tightly around her. It wasn't her place. She was barely older than he was. It wasn't a role she could fill, but that was who she was. Like his father in that way, filling voids that never should be filled, repairing wounds never meant to be mended. In that moment, the slowly building respect he had gained for her was forced back to the forefront of his mind. She and his father were both foolishly brave, each in their own way, each in areas only they would succeed in. They were also alike in their distance, he reminded himself, his father for honour and the young princess to protect herself from her new world.

"I'd prefer you not mention it to my father." Jeb's words confused her. Of course Cain would be concerned with his well being, but she had not heard from him since the last ceremony. There had been nothing since then. No notes, no visits, even though they were so close to the city. She had led her life and she was sure he had led his, just as if nothing had happened. After all, she mused, nothing had happened.

"Of course not." Jeb eyed her confused face, his expression mirroring hers. She turned her gaze out her window at the frozen mountain behind the palace. "We haven't spoken anyways and I don't think we will." And there, she had said it. The very thing that had haunted Jeb's dreams since he knew his father was alive. The honour, the cold brush off and the loneliness that would follow. Jeb had no desire to share the pain the princess was feeling, but he wished in that moment he could comfort her, offer her some hope that his father would come around. Offer himself some hope that his father would never find out.

DG sank back, further propping herself against the back of the chaise, tired of all the protocol and rules. Even more tired of following them herself. This wasn't who she was, the aloof princess who said only what she was supposed to say. She bolted up from her protected position, her fully robed frame now in Jeb's view. "What's worrying you? I know it isn't my place and I know I shouldn't ask, but I can't help myself. I see you every day. I know something is troubling you. Ever since..." The princess cut off there, hoping she had voiced enough concern to break his silence. He wanted to tell her, knowing she wouldn't revile him for it, but fearful that it would go from her ears to his father's.

* * *

Cain sat in the familiar bar, reminding himself that it was good to be out of his confined room during off hours. Not all of the time, but being alone with his thoughts lately was not going well. Still he kept a newspaper handy as officer deterrent, not wanting the onslaught of questions to destroy what was left of his weary mind. He set his hat down on the windowsill as the bartender set a glass down on the table, his eyes resting on the drink before picking up the paper and scanning over the contents. The coronation was nearing. He'd said he would attend. His hand obligingly held up his forehead as he groaned softly. Why did he say he would attend? He took a sip of the drink, wondering if it should worry him that Jeb hadn't written him since the ceremony. They were probably too busy with preparations. Cain was too busy making decisions of his own, but a different kind. Where did he belong in this new world? He thought himself too old to be making these kinds of decisions. 

A flip of a page and he set down the mug. A memory returning to him that had never made sense. _Longcoats free of enchantment wish for death._ The words danced in and out of focus as he remembered. Fragmented memories running circles through his memory, back to when he was young. He set the paper down, taking in a deep breath, for the first time something other than anger rippling through his body when he reminded himself the Queen's guard had taken Zero to the tower and out of the iron suit. Cain had yelled, screamed for death too all those years ago as they had bolted him in that suit.

Now it was Zero pleading for death. Not that it was his name, before... before the mess. Before the war. Cain had had it all wrong. He was one of the fortunate ones. Those men would never be let outside the prison their minds made for them. Their own limbs and tainted loyalty carrying out deeds their once honourable hearts would never fathom. He set the newspaper down, eyeing the bar's few patrons wandering in and sitting at the bar. Was there never going to be an end to the cost? The causalities of what had happened. Cain motioned for the barkeep to take the food back, he wasn't hungry. With this newest revelation he preferred the quietness of his room. There at least the past couldn't seep through strangers' muddled voices. Adora's faint words describing a gentleman who had come to help, he'd barely heard her while reading over reports. The day before, the day before he saw her last.

She had started acting distant as soon as he'd joined the resistance. Cain had pressured her to talk, to remind her that she had been for the decision. She said she worried for him. He'd worked more, not seen her enough, weaving in and out of her life as he clung to his ideals. Some days barely seeing her at all. Too much of their marriage had been that way. No, no. His mind calmed. He couldn't blame the war. In the beginning, he barely saw her; afraid keeping her close would make her a target for death. Then, once his son was born, afraid Jeb would be taken. Fear had driven him.

He'd made many enemies in his line of work. Never been smart enough as a young man to pick ones that were powerless to fight back. Always taking the harder cases, the ones that could cost him everything. Recklessly pursuing them, against orders, against odds, convinced that justice overrode all. And even when Adora had insisted he change, the Mystic Man's detail took all his time, and then the resistance taking its place. Hiding behind his ideals. Keeping his heart at a distance while running after phantoms. Phantoms now more haunted than he'd ever be. He picked up the newspaper, still eyeing the headline, placing his hat back on his head. A little solitude now would do, but only for now. He had family left, family more important than the job he clung to, family he intended to keep near him this time. He'd write to Jeb, hopefully his son would not repeat his same mistakes and would make time to see him.


	7. Chapter 7

_disclaimer as before.  
Oops. This was posted later than intended, thanks so much for the reviews._

"You should go talk to him." DG insisted while scrawling her increasingly terrible signature on another document. Once upon a time, it had said Her Royal Highness Dorothea Gale, now it read more like He Roy Higes Dooth Gle. She giggled at the thought. Hopefully, the royals wouldn't care too much. She glanced up at Jeb, Jeb who was still dutifully handing her more papers to sign. Being Queen better come with a hand masseuse or some kind of stamp if this was to be a daily activity. She dropped the pen a moment and rubbed her palms together, before picking it back up to look over the countless documents. Turning her head to the side, she peered up at him, still aware that he had not responded.

"Is that an order, your highness?" He hadn't contained his annoyance as much as he had hoped. She pouted at the paper, though he knew it was in response to his tone, still scrawling something that looked like a child's rhyme on the bottom of the letters. Jeb sighed, knowing he could try and keep it from her, but not really seeing the use at this point. "You'll be happy to know that my father has written me. He hopes to see me later this afternoon, if I have your permission." The young princess's head popped up, a large smirk on her face.

"See? He wants to see you. That should cheer you up some." And oh how the boy needed cheering up. He'd still refused to tell her what was bothering him. The news of the trials' indefinite delay until long after the coronation had passed from her lips to his ears without a reaction. "Of course I give you my permission." She swung the pen in a regal manner as she spoke, leaving a dotted ink trail along the bottom of the letter. Damn! Brilliance struck and she filled in the dots with some flourishes and swirls, making it appear to be an intentional decoration. "Maybe you can tell him what's bothering you." If she'd muttered it aloud, she hadn't meant to. DG noticed Jeb's sulking increase, proof that she had verbalized her concern. Again.

She was worse than his mother. Eyeing him near every moment, hoping he'd crack and tell her what was wrong. "I guarantee you, your highness, this is something I have no intention of telling my father." Blue eyes sparkled in confusion and curiosity. She placed the pen back in its holder, clasped her hands and turned to face him fully. Jeb stopped handing her documents, now fairly certain he was going to be forced to tell her one way or another. "In that I don't want to pain him." He muttered it quickly, but forcefully hoping to quash her interest on the subject.

Pain him. There was a phrase DG recognized. "I'm afraid I still don't understand the OZ's concept of honour. I've heard that before," Her eyes widened slightly "from my own sister, when nothing could have been further from the truth." Jeb still stood holding the remaining documents in his hands like a shield. "Why don't you let your father decide if it's good or bad?" He couldn't help but laugh at her. She was so incredibly naïve.

"If my father knew, he wouldn't write to me, much less see me." That wasn't the Wyatt Cain she knew. He loved his son and she couldn't think of any possibility where that love would fade, much less die. DG stood, ready to defend him, but Jeb wasn't done. His anger and rage making its way from his very core, spitting truth coated with his own fears. "He won't even see you. He loves you and he won't see you, because you pain him. Every letter he sends me asks about you, but he refuses to come. You force him to make a decision he doesn't want to have to make."

Convinced that he now had her attention he continued on pressing his own case, careful to try and draw enough parallels for her to see sense and stop hassling him. "There won't be any decision in my case, just pain. You think his honour will allow him to still see me when he discovers what an embarrassment I am? I am twice worse anything you could ever be." Jeb paused, realizing he was hurling words far worse than weapons at her. He dropped his gaze from her, aware he had torn her hopes down with his own regret. "I'm sorry. I know my father."

DG's shoulders shook. She wasn't sure why his words had hit her so hard. She knew her concern should be for him and not for her own selfish wants, but the words still stung. A small hope that had been alive died out in a puff of smoke. Against her will, a single tear escaped and splattered onto the elegant decoration she had fashioned below her name. Ruining the poor repair job she had attempted. She took a shaky step over to where Jeb was, pulling him into a fierce hug. Once her gaze was off him, he rested his head on her shoulder. He was not quite able to cry, but allowed all the rage to seep out of him. "You have to tell him." DG could feel his head shaking against her shoulder. "I know you're afraid, but you need to." Jeb shook his head harder; she placed a hand against the side of his face, lifting it up so she could see into his watery eyes. "Please Jeb, give him a chance."

Jeb searched her eyes for a moment, wondering if he had unintentionally broken her heart as well. Wondering even more, why she was pushing him to go. If it was for her own good, that his father accepting him back would be a sign of hope for her own situation, but he couldn't see anything there beyond concern for his own wellbeing. Her hand fell, the vulnerability in her face vanished, replaced by a now familiar reassuring smile. "I won't need you here to sign some more letters. I think I can keep the paper cuts at bay." Jeb smiled at that, wanting to say what a good queen she'd make. Wanting to thank her, but not wanting to ruin the moment. "You can go."

Go. Jeb's mind raced at the conversation to come, trying to block out an image of a man with ice blue eyes screaming for his death. The same man that had held his mother's head in his hands as she'd stood paralyzed at his cruelty. He turned to go, his hand reaching for the door handle when she spoke. "He's your father isn't he." Jeb closed his eyes, even without mentioning his name or his secret she had known. Perhaps it was her magic, or maybe her eyes could peer into his soul, making her the voice of reason in his moment of despair. No, he thought, it was a poorly kept secret. One his father had the right to know, even if technically he had never been his own.

* * *

The two sat in the same bar, together again. It had been nearly an annual and so much had changed. Jeb smiled as the barkeep brought two glasses of the brew. He wasn't nineteen just yet, but his father had waved his approval. Jeb had rehearsed the speech in his head the whole hour ride here. How he wished his mother was here to explain. That she had held onto life instead of... he took a sip of the drink. Instantly hating the taste of it more than the sludge he was drinking before. The stuff they'd had in the field had tasted better. His father laughed, pointing at the face he'd made, motioning for the barkeep to bring him a glass of the sludge. This time he gratefully took it, washing one terrible taste down with a less terrible one. 

"I'm glad you came, Jeb. I was beginning to think the palace had swallowed you whole." Jeb took another sip, his mind wandering back to the last winter he had with his mother. The smell of the fireplace burning, the cold nipping at his hands as he gathered another blanket for his mother. She had looked so frail, sitting there huddled on the bed looking out the window. He had been so young. Trying to cut down firewood, keep food around, bartering for bits of information regarding the resistance. Anything he could get his hands on to ease her rattling cough. She had been weak before, when they had run there, but not this weak.

"I have something to tell you." The words burned as they came out, as if Jeb had already betrayed some secret trust. His mother had entrusted him with this, as she lay cold and dying, wishing for him to follow her advice. He hadn't followed it, hadn't listened to her and had been glad in his resistance days that his childhood intuition had paid off. "Something that's not easy to say, but that I know you might find out from another source."

Jeb should have killed that man before, bound and broken, when he had the chance. He had let his father's return soften him, once again under the influence of his voice. Not the father he had remembered, but a man who wanted him to be able to live with the costs. A concerned voice had touched him so that he'd abandoned reason. Allowing the memory of his mother's voice to intertwine with his father's new concern. The trials had ruined this life for him. Jeb couldn't bear the thought of that man screaming the truth for his father to hear. The image of it was clawing at Jeb's last nerve, until it faded slowly into the image of a princess, a friend, pushing him onward. He didn't look up to see his father's reaction. His father...

"Mother didn't die when we were taken." Jeb took another terrible and sloppy sip, wiping the top of his lip with the back of his hand. "The longcoat who took us wanted us to stay and live with him." Jeb's eyes wandered, it wasn't going as he had planned. Too many starts and stops and all of his own making. "But we didn't. Mother and I ran off, far off… to a cabin. We lived there a while, until a harsh winter hit. Hit us hard. Mother started coughing and I was still small. I couldn't carry her from place to place. I tried, but I was too little."

He saw his father reach out to grab his hand, but fearing he couldn't go on, Jeb pulled it closer to himself. "As she lay there dying, she told me something. A secret. A secret I have always feared telling you." Jeb took in a breath, feeling like a man putting a pistol to his own head. One chamber could be empty… it was all he could think to comfort himself.

"She said that I should go and find my father, that there still could be some good in him, that I was too young to make it on my own. She told me Zero was my father. I didn't want to believe her, but he haunted the house whenever you left, bringing me little trinkets. Asking how I was doing in my classes. Then it changed. He came asking about your whereabouts, asking about the resistance. She would never tell him a thing, but I could tell she cared. I can't remember, being so small, but from my first memories they knew each other." He let out a breath, gripping onto his mug so tight his knuckles were white. "And I believed her. I didn't go after him. I made my own way, but I believed her."

Jeb kept his eyes on the table and his glass. He could feel him; the man he wished had been his father, staring at him. Jeb didn't want to see the look, the look of disgust. The step back. The cold brush off. The distance placed between them for his own protection. "Have you gone to see him?" Jeb shook his head at the question, mostly true. He hadn't, but DG had. Jeb didn't want to see him. Right now, he didn't even want to see himself. He'd seen enough dead on the battlefield to know what a sight they were.

Cain sat in his chair, feet firmly planted on the floor, both hands resting limply on the table. His jaw still set, his eyes looking at Jeb. The barkeep tried to bring over the food, grunting with annoyance when two hands simultaneously waved him off. Cain smiled at that, knowing Jeb couldn't tell he'd mimicked him so perfectly. He reached across the table, placing a hand on Jeb's shoulder. "You are still my son." Jeb shook his head slightly at that. "Hey… Jeb, this isn't going to change anything." Jeb's eyes looked up from their previously fixed spot. "I still love you and I still loved your mother." His son smiled at that, placing his hand over Cain's hand still resting on his shoulder. They sat there for a while, rearranging bits of memories and making decisions for the future. After the lull, Cain set his hand back on the table, before beckoning the barkeep to come back with the food.

A gentleman who wanted to help. Cain could now place the memory in its correct setting, along with so many other misplaced looks and emotions. The truth was outside of Jeb's control and a buried past Cain couldn't change. Never again would he allow his own fear to keep a distance between him and his loved ones, no matter the risk. Cain looked down at his food, taking a bite and trying to strike up a less life changing conversation with his son.

"So how's life at the palace going?" Jeb pushed his food back and forth on his plate looking coyly up at his father, not quite sure if he was on solid ground enough to tease the old man, but tempted to push her case as hard as he could. Jeb's mind raced back to the "loved" bit of his father's response, having almost not noticed the past tense. Part of him was still in disbelief that he was pondering encouraging this whole notion. Perhaps his father had already figured it out.

"I think I'll be leaving soon." Jeb spoke as casually as he was able, still pausing and stopping from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Cain stopped eating for a moment. "I've talked with the Captain. My opinion has been revised on officer protocol. There are rules at every turn. Those I can live with. If all goes well, in a short time the palace won't need me." Jeb shrugged a shoulder, taking a bite, still testing his father's reactions. "DG will be a great queen." Cain's eyebrows rose at his son's use of the princess's nickname, along with the sudden matter of fact approval. Jeb seemed to enjoy his reaction, a decidedly teasing look on his face as he managed to swallow a large forkful of food. Cain's face went slightly pink, unaware of how he felt about Jeb's ease at the topic. Cain shifted, looking down at his mostly uneaten food.

"Jeb, I..." His son raised a hand to cut him off, not quite ready for either of them to approach that subject directly. Jeb took another swig, finishing off the drink. His father was still motionless, stuck in the same place. They were back to the same unsettling quiet. This is not how Cain had imagined their mid-meal would go today. His son's confession was still burning and reworking its way through his memory, the consequences still not quite clear. He wasn't sure if he was ready to bare his soul quite yet.

"She told me to tell you." Jeb scraped his fork on the bottom of the plate and finished up the remaining scraps. "That you wouldn't turn me away. She knew you better than I did." Jeb set his fork down, he was done. Cain was now firmly stuck in his own memory, his eyes seeing light out of the tin suit for the first time in years. Seeing her, the woman who had released him. Cain wondering how many times the same woman could save him from himself, and if she'd still be willing to in the future. The fresh pain of regret now revealed for what it was. The same fear. The same desire to protect. The same push off. Despite all his efforts and her influence he still hadn't changed with those he held most dear, but it wasn't too late. The coronation was tomorrow night. He'd said he would be there. Before he went, he knew he had one very important stop to make.


	8. Chapter 8

_disclaimer as before.  
Thanks again for the reviews._

Bit by bit, DG was sewn into the dress, the seams finished where pins once were, occupied with pushing her ever-growing hair out of the way of the seamstress. Despite the lack of a corset, the dress was a stiff second skin, keeping her firmly together for the occasion. Her robo-parents were standing off to one side, visiting the palace from their new home in revitalized Milltown just for the coronation. They beamed and of course said the appropriate parental things as she twirled around for them in the gown. The seamstress smiled, putting the needle back in her case and leaving to attend on Az. DG waved at her as she left, knowing she'd see her again soon enough for the dress for Az's wedding.

"You look every bit a queen." Her robo-father cooed, taking her by the hands and continuing to twirl her about. Robo-mom stood next to him, hands clasped in the same pose she had assumed before DG's prom. The dress had definitely improved since that time. Her real mother entered then, carrying a gigantic cape with a giganticer train. From the look on her face, DG assumed she was supposed to wear the monstrosity.

"It is just for the ceremony." Her mother was quick to respond. "For the party afterwards it goes back in its case." Where it belongs, DG thought, knowing that her recently acquired regal wear coordination only went so far. The soon to be former Queen set it down on the chaise, looking over to the robo-parents. "Are you two dressed for the festivities?" They clearly were not. Her mother looked from them to DG, before whisking them off to look more appropriate. Parenting skills they had, court protocol not so much. They'd be visiting frequently, she hoped, so perhaps it was time to download some royal etiquette to their processors. DG swished down the hall after them, navigating both the dress and the train with hard won ease, stopping at her sister's door. Az's emerald fetish had not quite been sated, she stood in yet another green gown, one hand clasped in Ambrose's as he spoke.

"Well, my darling, if we gave the longcoats a chance I'm sure we'll be able to give the mobats a chance as well."

DG's eyes crinkled with silent laughter as they spoke. Az was trying to figure out if she could save her once loyal and only friends from the clutches of the evil witch's grasp. Ambrose was assuring her that if, in fact, they were evil… why then, he would devise a device that would transform them into loveable pets. She'd rarely had a chance to speak with her elder sister since their trip to the tower. Not wanting to eavesdrop anymore, DG took a loud step in.

"Deeg!" Ambrose relinquished Az's hand so the two could embrace. "You look beautiful." Az exclaimed, leaning back from the hug to burst into nervous giggles. DG's eyes strayed to where Ambrose was standing. He bowed slightly, his face stuck in a silly grin. Good old Luke, DG thought, you'll be my brother after all.

"Well, I won't be having to call you princesses much longer." His grin somehow got wider. "You'll be queens soon." Both women smiled, but DG's stomach began nervously rumbling. Ambrose must have noticed and the smile on his face lessened. "No, none of that. You'll do a wonderful job. You both will. This past annual I've seen the people come to hope again." More nervous laughter. Ambrose kissed her gently on the cheek, before giving Az a quick peck on the lips. DG's nose wrinkled at that. They were so adorable. It was still going to take some getting used to.

"Princess." A voice called from the hall. DG turned to see a long leather duster and a hat. Her heart stopped for a moment, then the hat slowly revealed... Jeb. She blinked as he walked into the room and picked her up into a hug. "I've told your mother, her last official duty was letting me return to being an officer." DG looked at Jeb's joyous face, totally confused. "It's ok. It's where I belong. Anyway, you won't be needing me anymore." Jeb hugged her tighter, leaning his mouth down close to her ear. "Thank you. Thank you so much." They stood hugging; causing quite the scene, but DG didn't care. It was one of her last times she could cause a fuss as a princess. The gown could be cleaned off in the remaining hour. Clearly, his father had been the Wyatt Cain she'd known. She shrugged off her own feelings, happy that at least she had been right. Jeb and Cain were still family and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Cain had avoided the road. He'd seen the lone white tree in the distance, but now he had come to make peace. He sank down next to the grave, one knee encased in mud thanks to a late summer's rain. His fingers traced over the carved headstone. Imagining small but sturdy hands carving out the words, pounding grief into each blow of the chisel. The past slowly reconnecting with the present. Nothing Jeb had said had changed the past. Changed the mistakes he'd had made. The family they still were. The causalities would never end. The consequences of actions long past, but that wasn't why he was here. The rage he'd felt had melted into fuel for change. 

He'd come here to apologize and to say goodbye. To say he missed her the months he was away on duty. That he missed the way her face would light up when he came home and darken when he left. She had trained Jeb well. His eyes clouded over, trying to imagine being with her in those last moments. Adora revealing her secret to him and him able to kiss her as she slipped slowly away. Saying goodbye to the woman he had met so long ago, who'd fallen in love with a young and foolish tin man.

He closed his eyes and was able to remember her as she was, the memory of her smile overtaking the loop of violence that had haunted him. The ring came off with a final tug. He placed in on her grave, covering it over with dirt. His bare hand now lying on top of her final resting place.

"Goodbye my love." He muttered looking around at the cabin that had held her last breath. If Adora were here, he'd reassure her. He had loved her with his whole heart, even if he'd never fully shown it. He bent his head to kiss her carved name, rest his hands along the edges once more. The fall out of the war would never end, but he was hell bent on making the best of the future. Cain mounted his horse as the rain started to drizzle down and took off full speed back towards the Emerald City.

* * *

"Is all of the O.Z. in there?" DG peeked out the large door looking into the very full throne room. Twin throne room now. There was no sign of him, but he said he would come. She turned back to look at her family. Az sat with Ambrose on a couch, her mother and father together on the one facing them. Both couples chatted back and forth in polite conversation. DG paced silently in-between them, pausing every now and then to smile at a familiar memory. This was no Disney ending, no prince rushing off to her rescue. Whatever she needed rescuing from. A smile over took her as she remembered a white horse on the horizon carrying a man with a familiar hat. 

DG turned to look back at Jeb, who was now ordering his men about for the last time. He'd be behind the scenes for the ceremony, decked out in the more comfortable casual apparel. Here she was about to be crowned as a queen. Officer Gulch would have a heart attack at the thought of her writing laws. Speed limits were definitely out of the question. Her mouth formed a small frown, once she was allowed to ride a bike here.

The technology age had reached the OZ in a different way. Clockwork gadgets that mostly ran off steam or magic were commonplace. DG had quickly learned that magical restriction laws were infinitely complicated. Peeking out again, she could see the rows upon rows of people each organized by their guild and race. Some races were still new to her, just now coming out of the endless depth of culture the O.Z. contained.

With each new lesson, DG had learned another new secret that her new land held. The politics involving fairies, witches and wizards and their use of their natural abilities had proved even more elaborate. When the Sorceresses had been in power, she'd simplified things. She had chosen to outlaw all magic other than her own, forcing people into either hiding or exile. After reading the laws that had been upheld in more peaceful times, she was more sympathetic to the witch's decision. The trumpets started up, and her nerves were suddenly acting up again. Both royal couples stood to either side of her. It was time to start the show.

* * *

Cain slowed his horse down as he neared the lake country, the road thick with mud that the horse slid through as he galloped. This muck would slow him down further. His head darted left and right as he rode, aware from the suns' positions that he was already going to be late. Something off to the left caught his eye, a village and beyond it people reinforcing the old dam. Just a handful, some of them children, filling bags as quickly as they could to keep the waters from overtaking their precariously placed homes. The rains had just started up this morning, but it'd been pouring through the entire area. Cain turned his horse towards the village, silently cursing the heavens for further complicating his life.

* * *

Her mother set the crown gently down on her head. She turned to Azkadellia next placing a similar crown on her sister's head. The two of them both remained kneeling; facing what would be their thrones with wide eyes. The crowns were lighter than expected, but the dread and expectation of responsibility was just as heavy as DG thought it would be. Applause drifted up to the stage from the audience below. It was their cue to stand, stand while some how balancing the crowns. They both turned and faced what were now their people. The applause continued, DG looked to a beaming Az, but her sister didn't return her gaze, she was staring only at Ambrose. DG looked out into the crowd again, a renewed feeling of dread now emerging from somewhere deep within.

* * *

"We need more reinforcement!" Cain yelled, pointing at some logs to the side of a house. The man nodded and took off towards the small house. He looked around the clearing for anything else they could use. The children were still busy making more bags, filling them with the least muddy dirt they could find. Cain didn't want to know what he looked like. The suns were now long gone, he'd missed the coronation. His eyes closed as the relentless rain kept beating down on him. The man and his two friends had dragged some of the logs up by hand. "Those will do fine. Over here." Cain gestured to the slowly forming gap in the dam. With any luck they'd be able to patch it up quickly. The logs locked in place, supporting the bags already keeping the lake at bay. Still, the dam looked ready to give away at any moment, a result he was not willing to accept.

* * *

"Cain will be here." Raw said in an authoritarian tone as only a seer could. DG wished she had his faith. She watched as Az and Ambrose circled around the dance floor, before turning back to nod at Raw. At least she was rid of the ridiculous cape. She could walk and mingle freely with her new subjects. Her mother sat nearby on a chair, clearly tired from the long ceremony. Most of which had been on her fragile shoulders. DG smiled, looking across the room at Jeb who was dancing with some young lady on his arm, before feeling the draw of gravity pulling her out onto a familiar balcony. She was smarter this time. Shoes on, a wrap loosely draped over her dress. It was raining softly, almost looking like snow as it fell in and out of the palace lights. The rain didn't bother her, the balcony being covered by a small overhang. There she stood, looking out at the path up to the palace. Willing him to suddenly appear on it.

She heard the dancing continue, as the night went on, saw people gradually start to trail their way out of the palace and into the night. DG pulled the wrap a little tighter, the chill of the evening setting in, the light rain starting to turn to real snow. People were starting to escape the palace's grasp more frequently, huddling in their carriages and cars before disappearing into the night. Raw came out to say goodnight to her, offering her a fierce hug and afterwards helped her readjust her crown. She still stayed outside, gliding her gloved finger along the railing. Staring out at the road. The snow was starting to come down in full force, puffs of white coming out of each exhalation.

"Won't you come inside?" Az 's voice asked her, DG shook her head. Turning to realize the ballroom had darkened. "It's cold out here Deeg." Even in the doorway, Ambrose's arms were snuggly around her sister, keeping her warm and shielding her from the wind. It was cold inside too, DG thought, but didn't respond aloud. Az wouldn't understand, or maybe... a sad knowing smile had crept onto her older sister's face. 'Cause her pain.' DG shuddered from the cold a bit, but returned her sister's smile. Az had known. It had been obvious. It was a poorly kept secret. She had been silly to think she had kept it from those closest to her.

"I'll wait out here." Az pleaded with her, but she refused to come inside. Her elder sister turned back into the darkened room and shook her head at her still seated mother, both sighing, both resigned to let her stay and freeze if her stubborn self wanted to. Jeb appeared in the doorway almost as soon as DG could see the royal family making their way up the staircase. His hands in his pockets, a concerned look on his face. DG wondered when they had reached their current agreement. Without words, he seemed to know why she was out here.

"The cold isn't good for you." The new queen nodded back at him, Jeb was unsure how to convince her to come back into the warmth of the palace. Not wanting her to stay outside waiting for his father, just as his mother had. She'd been so convinced that he was alive and would find her. That nothing would keep them apart. Nothing Jeb had said mattered, nothing had kept her from her silent vigil. Not even her own mortality had kept her from going, not until she couldn't move on her own. Even then, begging him to help her back up. Jeb opened his mouth to try and say something to convince her, but he stopped mouth opened. She would wait. DG turned away from him, looking back to face the path leading up to the palace. Jeb looked beyond her to the path, hoping this time his father would be able to make it home.


	9. Chapter 9

_disclaimer as before.  
Here's the ending, thanks for reading!  
And thanks to everyone that has reviewed this story. _

Cain never remembered having been so cold. The mud and water had now mostly crystallized into ice as he rode onward to the palace. He would have to remember to give the horse a good day of tending to. His horse slowed as they made their way up the path to the palace. All the lights were darkened, the coronation long over. He slid off the horse, handing the reigns to a guard while still making his way up to the front doors.

The large doors opened, as a guard escorted him into the column-flanked hall. There, he could barely see her figure making its way up the curved staircase. The guard shut the door behind him, leaving the two alone in the dimly lit hall. Shadows toyed with his imagination as she stopped her ascent and turned to look in his direction.

"You're late." Her voice was flat and emotionless. Cain's memory drawn back to the walk they had shared at the tower in Emerald City. He made his way through the columns and up to the base of the staircase, looking up at her forlorn face, a wrap draped loosely around her arms. She'd been outside, he realized… waiting for him.

"There was a village in the lake county." Cain took off his hat, noting that it now needed a good cleaning, before looking back up at her. He could see his arm coated in silt, frost and mud as he held the hat. It was a wonder the palace guard had allowed him inside in such a state.

"A village in the lake county." She pursed her lips, a smile making its way to them despite her aggravation. "Was there a cat in a tree?" Cain shook his head. He was confused, but was at least a little reassured that she was smiling. "Did a kid fall down a well?" She continued, gesturing incredulously at the situation.

"A dam was going to overflow. The sudden rain." She laughed a little and he smiled back up at her. Weren't they a pair, he thought, both foolish when it came to helping others in need. He'd have a hard time faulting her for it now. She didn't look as amused as she sounded. Her hands rested on her hips, thanking whatever twisted deity was up there for throwing that particular obstacle in the way.

"So you saved a village." He nodded at that, both chuckling now. "Well, they were very lucky to have you." For a second Cain thought he was off the hook, until her eyebrows lowered dangerously and she turned her head to face a window. "Especially down in lake country, which is south of here when the city is north." DG turned back to face him, her face now wearing the full weight of her disappointment. "If you didn't want to come, you could have written." She gulped back her tears, her face and voice somehow maintaining the impression of composure. "You could have told Jeb." Cain tried to speak, but she raised her hand to silence him. "I've been ridiculously stupid and I'm sorry."

DG took in a deep breath and let it out, her wrap dropping as she let out another breath. "I'm sorry." There was a long list in her head that she wasn't able to say yet. Things she hoped to write in a letter to him someday. Sorry for trying to fill a place in his heart that wasn't empty. Sorry for making him come to all her stupid parties. Sorry, for interfering with Jeb, which she clearly had no place doing. Sorry for being a dumb kid. Sorry for hoping for anything other than what was there and placing them both in this awkward situation. Sorry with every breath for making him ride through the freezing night to be where he didn't want to be, the snow now melting into a grimy puddle before her.

"I had to go to the cabin." Cain fingered his hat as he spoke; he hadn't expected her to be awake. He had planned for her to be asleep and to be able to wake her up in the morning and explain everything to her. Everything… once he had figured it out, which he had planned on doing tonight. Which he was stuck doing in the moment. The rain had ruined everything. He placed his hat on the banister, resting his hand on top of it. "I should have been able to make it back here all dressed up."

"But you didn't." Same flat voice, back to the same point he was at when he came in through the door. He wasn't making any progress here, not sure what he was supposed to be progressing towards, but this was not it. Did he really think he'd be better at this in the morning?

"But I came. I'm here." DG nodded down at him, ready for this whole conversation to be over with. Ready for him to stop dripping mud and whatever else he was covered with on the floor her mother had just had polished for the coronation. He stood there, still fingering his hat nervously. She sighed and turned to go back up the staircase. "I don't plan on leaving, DG," he said before she could take a step. Of course she'd show him to a room, that's what all newly queens dreamed about the night of their coronation, playing bellboy in a frostier version of Hotel California. "Jeb told me there was a position open as your bodyguard."

DG whirled around to face him. "I don't want a bodyguard. I can take care of myself. You know what, Mr. Cain? I don't need one. I'm sick of being followed around, people going places they don't want to be because of me. In fact I'm giving the room over to Az and Ambrose. They can put it to better use, like a nursery or something." Oh great mental image, she thought to herself, good thinking on your feet. Little brains running to and fro with a door that connects to her room. Just what she needed. He took a step up, nearing her slightly.

"Well, then what do you want?" Cain asked her, watching her as she shifted in place, unsure if she wanted to climb another step to even out their distance. DG sighed inwardly, as if she hadn't made that abundantly clear. At least she thought she had. It had seemed for so long that they'd been on the same page, now hearing him talk was like a discordant melody, echoing to something she wasn't saying. What she wanted wasn't possible, but she'd gladly take any bit of him she could get.

"A friend would be nice." He took another step up as she spoke, careful to avoid the white wrap that was draping down several steps. Now three steps away from her, his thoughts cleared. Past becoming past, the present slowly forming and his mind firmly on the future.

"I haven't been much of one." DG made a soft noise of agreement as she looked down. "I suppose we've all been trying to find our place. You've just found yours, I had one before..." his voice trailed off. "But this world is different. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out." Cain looked down at her pristine gloved hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was trying to avoid that."

"By leaving me all alone." The words came out in a breathy tone, the gloved arms now crossing her chest. Protecting herself from him and how near he was getting. DG was thankful to the darkened hall, hopefully concealing her increasing pulse as he spoke. She wasn't ready for a repeat of so many previous conversations.

"If you'll let me, I'd like to stay here." A slightly laugh escaped her lips, stay here. She hugged herself tighter. Her eyes wandering around the shadows the columns made in the hall. It wasn't fair that he had this ability to possess her, to stay in her thoughts all this time they'd been apart. To steer the course of her actions even when he'd been away. That he could make her speak when she wanted to be silent. Unfair that she wanted him near, when the effect did not work on him as well.

"Stay?" She eyed him, completely perplexed. First, he was leaving her every which way and now he wanted to stay. He nodded, taking his newly warmed hands out of his pockets and rising up another step, now nearly toe to toe with her. Steadying himself to speak next instead of act.

"As long as you'll keep me." One more step, nose to nose as they had been before, only this time he knew his own heart. Her face, flush with confusion, trying to understand what he meant this time. Her mind keeping her so preoccupied that she almost missed the first second of his lips connecting to hers. DG's eyelashes fluttered closed, white gloves wrapped around a sopping jacket. His arms wrapped snugly around her, muddying her world with his. Cain pulled slightly back moments later, just enough for their lips to part, fully aware that the front of her dress was now covered in mud. The kiss had been shorter than he would have liked, having stopped it just before her nearness had overridden his goal. Looking at her, lips still parted and eyes still closed, he was also fairly certain it was not going to be the last. She slowly opened her eyes, mostly convinced she was stuck in some kind of wonderful dream and had actually passed out in the cold.

His arms stayed fixed around her waist, pressing her closer against him, his warmth drawing her into this new reality. He took her hand, reaching with his other into a pocket and producing a familiar shaped medal. He placed the scratched and dirty heart into her hand, wrapping her fingers around it. "It's yours, if you still want it." She looked down at her closed hand, her gloved finger rubbing off the dirt and grime. She looked back up into his eyes, finally regaining enough control of her head to nod, before resting her lips once more on his. The two stood on the staircase, finally alone, without the outside world looking in. A puddle of water forming beneath them from the melting ice, framed by the window in each other's arms, warmed to the soul and finally where they belonged.


End file.
